‘Wicked’ Star Cynthia Ervio Took This From Original Wicked Witch Margaret Hamilton
It seems that all anyone can talk about these days is Wicked. But fans of that film should know that star Cynthia Erivo took inspiration for her character Elphaba from an iconic source: Margaret Hamilton‘s portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
Erivo shared that “Margaret Hamilton was definitely a touchstone for me,” when prepping for the role. While Wicked does take some obvious direct inspiration from the original 1939 film — including the decision to have the Wicked Witch be green-skinned (which is not part of L. Frank Baum’s original novel) — Ervio took some more subtle inspiration from Hamilton’s performance, as well.
Everett Collection
After re-watching The Wizard of Oz, Erivo noted, “I didn’t realize until I went back. But I always go back to this image of the black and white [silhouette] where she’s got her claws. It’s the first time I realized, ‘Oh, she has nails. That’s something I can pull in to the look of her.'” Ervio then said fans should watch Elphaba’s nails as Wicked goes on, as they represent the shifts in her character.
Not only did Erivo find inspiration in Hamilton’s performance — she also found it in the performances by the original stars who played the witches in the Broadway show.
Universal Pictures/Everett Collection
In an interview with Wicked Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, Ervio recalled, “I had seen the show a couple times. I had listened to both of you [Menzel and Chenoweth] often, so I had your voices in my head, and I had Margaret Hamilton’s imagery. It’s really nice to find pieces of those things to create something and then add my own thing to it.”
The story of the Wicked Witch has gone on for many years: The book was released in 1900, The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939, and the Wicked Broadway show premiered in 2003, based on the 1995 novel of the same name.
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October 2023
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