“Aretha was the key to learning how magical music could be. She’s the example …architect in the music industry which is what I aspire to be.” She also had a real love for clothing & style. It was cool to wear clothing through time… from the 70’s to 80’s” – Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia broke out as Celie in the broadway hit The Color Purple, earning her a Daytime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Tony Award for Best Actress. And in 2019, her leading role as Harriet garnered her Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. THIS is how I was introduced to this AMAZING talent. My mom still watches the film almost everyday. LOL!
During our roundtable she provided a lot of great insight on her role as Aretha… I was taken as she reflected on Harriet Tubman and the late great Cicely Tyson.
“My goal was not to be perfect but to be truthful… and I led with that. I will never be that person but my intentions were in the right place with empathy in telling the story. Harriet liked stories… if she liked that, I knew there was a tenderness … a soft side. I got to show that and hopefully you knew more about her than you knew. Cicely is one of many I admire who had a variety of full body careers. Who kept you guessing by playing many different roles.” – Cynthia
What’s next for Cynthia? Here’s a few projects coming your way!
- New role as Franklin in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning anthology Genius, which premieres in March 2021.
- Will star in the upcoming film Talent Show
- A future biopic about Nigerian princess Sara Forbes Bonnetta. (I’m really excited about this one
)
- Planning to release her first album with Verve/Universal Music Group in 2021.
- Last but not least… National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha coming soon!
Watch the behind the scenes trailer:
For all of her wonderful accomplishments… Cynthia Erivo will be presented with the SCAD “Spotlight Award”!!!
NOTE: I was able to capture this queen at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards.
Photos RobinLori
Stay tuned for more exciting coverage from SCAD aTVfest!