In 2018, Erivo made her film debut with a praise-worthy performance in “Bad Times at the El Royale.” The same year she starred in “Widows” as a struggling single mother named Belle. She then landed the major role of Harriet Tubman in the 2019 biopic “Harriet,” earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and proving herself as someone who could handle heavy, intense material.
In 2020 she starred in an HBO miniseries adapting Stephen King’s horror novel, “The Outsider,” and soon after starred in the sci-fi film “Chaos Walking.” In 2021 she portrayed Aretha Franklin in the anthology series “Genius,” which was also around the point where she returned to her musical career. She released her first studio album (“Ch. 1 Vs 1,”) in September 2021.
By the time she was announced as a lead role in “Wicked,” there was no debate she was a great fit for the pat. She has an amazing voice and has a strong presence, both on the stage and in front of the camera. “Wicked” is a musical that lets its leads show off their vocal skills, most notably in the show-stopper “Defying Gravity,” which can be heard playing throughout the trailer. There’s no doubt that Erivo can pull this off. She may not be as famous as co-star Ariana Grande, but she certainly deserves to be singing alongside her.
“Wicked” will be released in theaters on Thanksgiving Day, 2024.