Cynthia Erivo gave us all chills when she sang Defying Gravity, and it turns out she gave herself chills, too, during her audition. She gave it so much that by the end of her Wicked audition, she was running a considerable fever. However, all’s well that ends well because she got the part and is set to return with the second part of the film this month.
Cynthia Erivo was sick with a 103-degree fever while auditioning for Wicked
Cynthia talked about her experience running a fever during her three-hour-long audition for the Wicked: One Wonderful Night special. Her castmates like Jonathan Bailey (the Sexiest Man Alive for 2025) also recalled their audition process.
“Mine was sort of a chemistry read,” Cynthia said. “So I go for the audition and put everything out there, and I’m there for three hours. By the end of the audition, I started running a 103 fever. I go home, and I’m in bed for like four days. Whatever I had left was in that room.”
That was very Elphaba of her, and the producers obviously saw it too. This isn’t the first time Cynthia’s talked about her audition process. When she was on The Tonight Show previously, she told host Jimmy Fallon that she was “very ill by the end” of her audition, and it sent her straight to bed for days.
She added that she had just performed for an audience the night before. Fortunately, it was her only audition for the movie, and she didn’t have to come back and do it all again. It also served as a camera test for the actress.
Producers have shared clips from Cynthia’s (and Ariana Grande’s) audition, including a video (2:47 mark) where she is holding a broom handle and blanket while singing out the final notes of Defying Gravity. She definitely nailed it.
Fans can’t wait to see the second and final part of the film opening this week. Cynthia and co-stars are doing press for it now (and protecting each other from crazed fans at the same time!). It looks like they are all getting sentimental as their time in Oz comes to a close. It’s been an incredibly magical ride.
TELL US – ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WICKED PART 2? DO YOU THINK CYNTHIA MADE THE PERFECT ELPHABA?
