How is Cynthia Erivo addressing the controversy over her Jesus role? 'Wicked' star opens up about taking on the challenge

Cynthia Erivo broke her silence over her role as Jesus in the 2025 production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice back in August. However, shortly after she was announced as the cast for the lead, some people criticized her for taking Jesus's role as a Black queer woman.

But on her interview on The View on Friday, November 21, the Wicked star said that she regrets nothing despite the controversy the Broadway show has gotten. In fact, she saw it as an opportunity and a challenge. She said:

"I knew it would be a challenge, but I also knew that it would help us grow to see my face, me, in a role like that. It challenged me as a person, as an actress, to grow into a part that felt that big, that special."

Cynthia Erivo at the "Wicked: For Good!" New York Premiere (Image via Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)

And while she hoped that playing Jesus in the musical production "moved a lot of people," she also recalled how she had to think hard before accepting the role. Cynthia Erivo said on The View that it "meant the world" to her when her manager called her to say that the producers wanted her to play Jesus, but it also "scared" her. She added that she asked for a second to think about it before agreeing.

It wasn't the first time Erivo commented on her being cast in the lead role for Jesus Chris Superstar. She told Billboard in June, "Why not? You can't please everyone," when asked about the negative response to her casting.

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Cynthia Erivo shares a heartfelt farewell to Elphaba as Wicked: For Good hits cinemas

The second part of the Wicked film, Wicked: For Good, arrives in movie theaters on Friday, November 21. In line with the box office release, Cynthia Erivo opened up about her time playing Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande's Glinda in the films.

She shared a heartfelt goodbye to her character in a new Instagram post, shared on Friday, saying:

"I could write you an essay, a poem, Shakespearean prose, to describe what this journey has meant to me, what lessons this time has taught me, bought me. I could try to give a metric to the love I have felt and experienced. I could give a number to the stories I have heard. The truth is the numbers are too small and the words are not enough."

Cynthia Erivo went on to share her hopes for fans and viewers of the second movie. She also thanked everyone for "letting me be your Elphaba." As for the series of photos she shared on the post, it includes several behind-the-scenes while on set, including photos with the cast and crew.

She also shares a photo of her and Ariana Grande sitting on a swing in their Elphaba and Glinda outfits. Cynthia Erivo also shared a clip of her interview on The View on her Instagram Stories, where she said that the Wicked movies have changed her life "completely."

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Catch Wicked: For Good in cinemas worldwide.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia