Yahoo Lifestyle Cynthia Erivo Says “Wicked” Fans Sing 'Defying Gravity' Vocal Riff to Her 'Randomly, When I Don't Ask for It'
“I’m still trying to figure out how to [react]," the Oscar nominee said during an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
Universal Pictures; Neil Mockford/WireImage
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in 'Wicked'Fans of Wicked don’t hold back when they see Cynthia Erivo.
During a Monday, Jan. 27, appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actress, 38, shared how people have started “randomly” singing the riff of “Defying Gravity” to her since the movie’s release in November.
“Do people come up to you and do it?” asked host Jimmy Kimmel, 57, of the show-stopping vocal riff, which Erivo dubbed “the war cry.”
“Yes, randomly, when I don’t ask for it,” she said with a smile, adding that some people don’t even introduce themselves before their performance. “They sometimes just go straight into it.”
“How do you react to that?” Kimmel then asked.
“I’m still trying to figure out how to,” Erivo responded. “Sometimes it’s really delightful, sometimes it’s really, really wonderful, and I think what’s wonderful is people are willing to try anyway.”
“I think if the emotion has moved you to do that without even introducing yourself, then I think we’ve done something right. And I’m just going to go with it,” she added.
Erivo went on to share that while no one has started singing to her in a public bathroom, she has been asked for a photo in one thanks to the success of the musical movie.
“It’s not a bad place to take a picture as the lighting is usually quite nice,” she joked.
Universal Pictures
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the 'Defying Gravity' scene in 'Wicked'Kimmel also asked Erivo if the cast knew going into filming that the movie would be split into two installments (the second installment, out in November, is titled Wicked: For Good).
“No, we found out much later after we’d been cast, because they were sort of deciding about whether or not to split it in two, but we didn’t remove anything, there’s no songs that have been cut from it, so you get two movies,” Erivo explained.
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Kimmel then cheekily questioned the British star about the finances surrounding there being two installments.
“When they told you it was going to be split in two, did you say, ‘Oh great we get paid twice as much.’ ”
“No, I thought great we work twice as hard, perfect,” Erivo said with a laugh.
Universal Pictures
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in 'Wicked'Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Last month, during a screening of Wicked and Q&A with Kristen Bell at the Academy Museum's the Ted Mann Theatre in Los Angeles, the two-time Oscar nominee opened up about the grueling hours she had to put in to bring Elphaba to life on the big screen.
Confessing how she would sleep for less than three hours a night while making the film, Erivo detailed how she would first wake up for a two-hour workout — so she was conditioned for her flying stunts — followed by sitting in the makeup chair for up to two hours to be ready for her 5 a.m. call time.
“I had never flown before. I just knew I wanted to, I'd flown a small amount, but nothing like this before,” Erivo said. “And that requires your core to be the strongest you could possibly be, because the wires will take you from one place to another."
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