Exclusive: Cynthia Erivo Talks Widows, Bad Times At The El Royale, and HarrietPosted by Wilson Morales
November 1, 2018
Hitting theaters on November 16 from Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox is “Widows,” a blistering, modern-day thriller from Academy Award winning director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”).
A remake of the 1980s Lynda La Plante mini-series, the film stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver, Adepero Oduye, Jon Bernthal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo with Robert Duvall and Liam Neeson.
Set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption, “Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar winner Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
For Cynthia Erivo, who plays Belle in the film, the London native is in hot demand following years on the stage and a stellar singing career. Best known for her performance as Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical as well as the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She recently appeared in a lead role opposite Jeff Bridges in Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale, and will take on the iconic role of Harriet Tubman’s biopic Harriet for Focus Features.
Blackfilm.com spoke exclusively with Erivo regarding her roles in Widows and Bad Times.
What was the attraction to doing Widows?
Cynthia Erivo: I just thought she was different. I felt like it was like the complete opposite to what I had done on Broadway. There was just a completely different strength about this character. There was no apology, there was a real forwardness about how I could be my full theatrical self in it, and I really, really enjoyed the idea of being able to do that. So I was like, well I’m jumping in. And the other was that you have Viola Davis. It’s like all the things you could want were in one thing.
How would you best describe your character?
Cynthia Erivo: She is a woman who pulls no punches. She does not apologize for anything. She’s already well versed in having to do things by herself and on her own. I don’t believe that many things get her except the danger that her child might be in, and that’s exactly why she’s doing what she’s doing. It’s why she’s jumped on board with these women, it’s because she knows that it’s her only choice and I don’t think she’s apologetic about that either. I think there’s also kind of fashionable, and young and still has a life ahead of her. So, yeah.
Now of all the characters in the film, you’re the one that’s showing more physicality. We see you box, and we see you run among other things. Was that part of the script? Was that you, or was that a body double?
Cynthia Erivo: No, that’s me. Everything’s me. It’s certainly me. That was not part of the script originally, and the book thing came about first. I think we were in the middle of filming different scenes, and we were walking into the building and Steve (McQueen) was like, “Do you box?” And I was like, “Yes, I do.” He was like, “Good, because I had this image in my head of an album cover by Grace Jones where she’s standing in a pose, and I wonder if you’d be comfortable doing some boxing in the scene. So, like it could be a really powerful image.” And I was like, “Yeah, I can do that. I’ve boxed before.” I’ve done quite a bit of that, and that’s sort of how it came about. He just had this sort of image in his head, I guess women’s strength, strength of a woman I think he had seen in that image of Grace Jones and wanted it to be portrayed in film. That’s how it came about, yeah.
Can you talk about the chemistry and establishing that relationship between yourself, Viola, Michelle and Elizabeth?
Cynthia Erivo: I mean, it was a lot of fun, and most of the time you would hear us cackling very loudly. Whenever we were in the makeup trailer, it was just a lot of fun and laughter, and they put the world to rights, and we talk a lot, and I still talk to them now, like outside of the press, and stuff like that. I called Viola on her birthday, all of that. It felt good, because none of us had to be anything but ourselves. We didn’t have to apologize for the skills that we had, and everyone was just expecting the best in each other. So I think that’s kind of what it was. I had a great time doing it, and I was glad I was free to it. They were great.
You recently had “Bad Times at the El Royale” hit theaters, so you’ve got the best of both worlds happening at the same time. In that film you’re singing. How much fun was it filming that and singing?
Cynthia Erivo: That was amazing. It was intense in that I didn’t know what the mechanics were until we got there, and then I found that with each take, you’re singing that song over and over again, which is not something I’m not used to because it’s not Broadway. So my thing was just trying to make sure that whenever I did sing it, it didn’t feel like it was old, it didn’t feel like it was stale. I wanted to make sure that immediacy was still there. That it was still fresh, and the meaning was still there. That you still could understand what she was saying, and it’s just also telling a story. But I had a great time on that set. It was very intense for long, but I had an amazing time doing it. I felt like I was really very much in my element, and I think Drew (Goddard) made sure that I had everything I needed in that role.
With the songs that you sang in that film, where any of them familiar to you or was it all new?
Cynthia Erivo: I had heard some of them before, but I knew all of the songs and I didn’t realize I knew them until I had heard them. It’s one of those things where it’s like, I know that song but I didn’t know the title of it. Then you see the title, you’re like I’m not sure I know that song, and then you play it, and you’re like, I love that song. I know that song very well. So yeah, it was kind of like singing some of my favorites, really. I’m glad I got the opportunity to play some of these old classics I know well.
What’s the joy when you work in an ensemble film, whether it’s “Bad Times”, and “Widows”, and “Harriet,” the upcoming film you got coming up?
Cynthia Erivo: Well, I think that’s there’s joy in working on films like this, where the ensemble is that strong, is that all egos are aside because everyone is at the top of their game already and they’re wanting to work the hardest they can to tell the story, and that’s what you can feel. It’s about coming together and doing your best to make sure the story is told the way it’s supposed to be, and all that does is make sure that we all enjoy it, and that we’re doing it together, and we’re all of one accord. That’s really cool to feel that way. I think that when you have heavy hitters like Jeff Bridges and Viola Davis, I feel that they lead by example, and you just follow suit, to be honest. I had two months of courses, for free essentially when I was working with them, which is kind of cool.
What did you get out of working with Steve McQueen that you can take onto your next film?
Cynthia Erivo: I feel like I don’t know that people know this, but Steve is like a teddy bear. He’s so happy to be doing what he’s doing. He’s happy to be telling these stories that people are too afraid to tell. He wants to strengthen the story of the gaze on women. I just had a great time with them. I felt like he was taking great care of us, and I feel like he allowed you to be complete. All the excellence that you could muster up is what you had to give to him, and I think that that’s the thing that I will and can, and will consistent consistently try to take the same wherever else I go. I just want to do the best I can. I know that that was the thing that made him happy. That was the thing that he was always pushing for. For the person’s uttermost best. That’s the thing I think I will always try and take with me.
When it comes to female heist films, we’ve had “Set It Off”. Earlier we had “Oceans Eight”, now we have “Widows”. So for an audience who probably doesn’t go to a lot of movies, what’s a good reason to see “Widows”?
Cynthia Erivo: I think a good reason to see “Widows” is that I feel like it sets itself apart from movies like that, just because there’s no flowers on it. It’s as gritty as it can possibly be. This isn’t just about the heist. This is really about those women and their stories, and the lives that they lead, and the reason that they end up having to do the heist. It’s not just a heist movie, it’s a heist movie out of consequences. They’ve dealt with a lot of things in their life, and now they have to do something, or to get themselves out of it, and that just happens to be the heist. And I think that’s kind of cool.
Congrats on your next project “Harriet”. What goes in to saying yes to playing the role of an iconic character?
Cynthia Erivo: What goes into saying yes. I’m making sure that I am mentally prepared, making sure that I know what it is I’m getting myself into, making sure that I’m physically ready to do this role because it is extremely physical. We’ve been shooting for a week now, and I think I’ve run at least a half marathon if not a full one so far, and it has taken the mental stability and the physical stability combined to be ready to do that. And just knowing who she is, knowing what she went through. Being open to telling a story that people don’t particularly know of her. Telling the story of the woman rather than the hero, because the hero comes from the woman, and that story we’re trying to tell.
Is doing more films the next step now? Are you putting theater on a break right now?
Cynthia Erivo: I think so. I’m not saying I’m putting theater on permanent break, because after “The Color Purple” it’s hard to jump into something that isn’t of the same standard, or it doesn’t have the same grasp in it, that same sort of meat in it, and I want to make sure that whatever I do next in theater has that depth. So I’m waiting for the right piece before I go into the theater. So for now, I’m really, really enjoying this foray into film. I’m really enjoying it. I’m glad I’m getting to be a part of it too, yeah.
Clip – Problem Solved
