‘Wicked’s’ Cynthia Erivo grateful for ‘gift of a lifetime’

“When I was a little girl, I didn’t see many faces that looked like mine in stories I could dream were about me,” Cynthia Erivo says. “I didn’t see movies with little girls who had black curly hair, brown eyes, flat noses and high cheekbones. I felt alone and unseen.

“They didn’t tell our stories, but now they do.”

The 38-year-old star of “Wicked” insists age has brought her the kind of changes she always longed to see. “It was the gift of a lifetime to play a girl who could fly in ‘Wicked’ … so other little girls now know they can fly, too.”

The London native is ready to fly again with her green alter ego. The much-awaited “Wicked: For Good” opens Nov. 21, the sequel to the 2024 hit that earned 10 Oscar nominations, including best actress for Erivo and best supporting actress for Ariana Grande.

In the sequel, Erivo reprises her role as Elphaba, an outcast who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, while her pal becomes a celebrity called Glinda the Good. Friendship turns into rivalry in the lead-up to “The Wizard of Oz” storyline and Dorothy’s arrival.

As for her character, Erivo says, flying monkeys aside, “I have the beautiful challenge of humanizing her and cracking open her vulnerability. There is a softer side that hasn’t necessarily been on show before and a humanity within.”

Erivo, who calls Los Angeles home, shares her good life tips.

Savor the moment

“I think I knew that ‘Wicked’ would be a life-changing project from the beginning,” she says. “I just don’t think I quite knew the gravity of what it would be. I knew it was something that would challenge me. I knew it was something that would change the way I see my art and increase the love I have for it. … This has been the ride of a lifetime, but it has also been the gift of a lifetime. I’m savoring every moment.”

A connection

Erivo says the lesson from “Wicked” is simple: “Your only choice is to be who you are,” she says, adding, “I took myself for a solo date to the theater on my 25th birthday,” she recalls. “I saw the play ‘Wicked.’ When I left that theater, I felt really seen. I understood what it felt like to be misunderstood because of Elphaba. She deeply connected with me. She knows heartbreak, loss, grief, hurt, pain and beyond. It felt quite real to me.”

Sing your song

Erivo developed an original song for the sequel called “No Place Like Home,” a bittersweet ballad about Elphaba’s time in Oz post-banishment. “The first time I performed it, the entire crew was in tears,” she recalls. Music is my other language, and so whenever I get the chance to really dive into music, I am in heaven.”

She also sings the duet “For Good” with friend and co-star Grande. “I was really proud of the vulnerability that we were able to achieve with the song,” Erivo says. “It’s about how there is a choice to back away from the hurt and pain that they both have to experience. There’s a choice to sort of avoid it, but we run headlong into it.”

We can all fly

“For those people who feel alone, hopefully you can watch this movie and realize you are not the only person going through that experience,” Erivo says. “You are not alone — there are others. … The thing about you is what makes you special and maybe makes you fly. … And if you see something different — maybe something you don’t recognize — maybe you can reach out, connect and learn something new.”

Happy tears

Erivo learned of her “Wicked” Oscar nomination as she was literally flying. “I was on a plane to Japan,” she says. “I was sleeping and woke up to a barrage of texts about the nomination. The flight attendants saw me crying. They were so kind, so sweet. They gave me a fruit plate to celebrate. Those were very happy tears. By the end of the flight, they all said congratulations.”

Born performer

Erivo’s roots are in south London, where by age 11, she was singing at her Catholic school and playing a variety of instruments. She went on to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in acting. Work on the West End led to New York and Broadway. She won a Tony in 2016 for best actress in a musical for “The Color Purple.” “I stepped into a dream,” she says of her acting career.

Work it out

Erivo isn’t one to sit still. Her daily work routine includes distance running and core workouts along with strength training, yoga and indoor cycling. “Fitness is a part of who I am,” she says. “You have to take care of yourself inside and out. The goal is just keep bettering what I have now.”

Her advice for those just beginning a fitness program. “Set small goals and celebrate all of your achievements. If you went five minutes one day, go six or seven the next.”

Challenging roles

Before “Wicked,” Erivo says one of her biggest challenges was playing Harriet Tubman in “Harriet.” “She was someone who faced great heartbreak and who devoted herself to saving other people,” she says.

Vital stories

“The job now is to keep creating work that will hopefully continue to resonate and ultimately move people,” Erivo says. “I always want to give as much as I can to tell the story. We need stories to find our common humanity.”

Find a way

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything, because you can — you just need to figure out your way to do it,” she says.