Yahoo Lifestyle Cynthia Erivo Gets New Chance To Become The Youngest EGOT Winner
Cynthia Erivo’s recent Oscar nomination isn’t just defying gravity — it’s redefining the game.
On Thursday, the 38-year-old actor secured her third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal as “Elphaba” in the movie “Wicked,” catapulting her back in the running to be the youngest recipient to earn the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Tony, Oscar) title.
Erivo’s journey to this status started way before she stepped foot on the yellow brick road. In 2016, she won a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway play “The Color Purple.” Not long after, she secured a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the same role.
Since then, Erivo has had not one, but two opportunities to secure her Oscar. She was nominated twice in 2020 for her role in the “Harriet Tubman” biopic, for both Best Actress and Best Original Song for the stirring anthem “Stand Up.”
If she wins this year, she’ll be the youngest EGOT winner ever.
Erivo’s role in “Wicked” has also made her the second Black woman to play “Elphaba” in a major production. Speaking with “Variety,” Erivo discussed her performance of the popular song “Defying Gravity.”
“I hope it’s a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven’t been welcomed,” Erivo said. “To anyone who’s walked into a room and felt like they haven’t been welcomed. I am really glad to be the conduit through which this character has been brought to the world.”
The movie “Wicked” has earned 10 nominations, including Ariana Grande’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
