The Powerful Reason Why Cynthia Erivo Shaved Her Head
Ahead of her appearance on The Voice, learn why Erivo decided to shave her head to play Elphaba in Wicked.
If Michael Bublé wants some inspired celebrity help to coach his Artists on The Voice this season, he’ll have a hard time picking a better Battle Advisor than Cynthia Erivo. After all, the Oscar-nominated Wicked star already has proven how completely dedicated she can be to an artistic project she believes in.
As the Battle Advisor for Team Bublé, Erivo is one of four celebrity Advisors taking part in the Battles-round rehearsals for Season 27 of The Voice. Each Advisor will lend their expertise to help the Artists hone their own stagecraft and skill. Erivo knows a thing or two about those concepts — and a third, as well: commitment. Want proof? Look no further than to how Erivo prepared for her critically-lauded performance in Wicked.
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The Wicked reason Cynthia Erivo shaved her head
With her Wicked performance as Elphaba Thropp, Erivo has earned a plethora of awards nominations (including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress). The praise is well-deserved, as Erivo put everything she had into the part. As Erivo told Vanity Fair, getting green to play Elphaba took hours and hours of makeup prep. “Two hours and 45 minutes to three hours if it was just head, neck, hands,” she said about her intense makeup chair sessions. An additional hour was needed if a full-body scene was on the schedule.
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To make sure Elphaba's wigs, head, and face makeup were as perfect as possible, Erivo shaved her head before production. Before putting her wigs on, Erivo joked that she was "green-scalp Cynthia. Like a little bald-headed green lady."
Erivo says she'd gladly step up and shave her head again if the role called for it: “I would love to do that again," she told Vanity Fair.
Having just mentored Season 26 winner Sofronio Vasquez to victory in his first-ever Coach appearance on The Voice, Michael Bublé seems to be charging hard at a two-peat in Season 27 — at least, if his choice of Battle Advisor offers any kind of clue. After all, getting expert advice from Erivo must hit a little differently knowing how much of an artistic force she is!
How to watch The Voice
Season 27 of The Voice airs on NBC each Monday at 8/7c. New episodes are available to stream on Peacock the very next day!
