Cynthia Erivo Reveals the Magical Meaning Behind Elphaba’s Nails in “Wicked”

Cynthia Erivo is taking on one of Broadway’s most iconic characters for the upcoming on-screen adaptation of “Wicked,” but that hasn’t stopped her from adding some of her own secret “magic” into the role.

The British actress stars as Elphaba in the hotly-anticipated musical movie, which premieres on Friday, November 22, and tells the story of the oft-misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West. Adapted, albeit loosely, from the 1995 book, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” the musical and movie aim to reveal the painful truth behind the villainous “Wizard of Oz” character.

Elphaba’s close friendship with Glinda (played by Ariana Grande), her romance with Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), and her complex relationship with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) are all given remarkable new meaning in the emotional script. Having made its on-stage debut in 2003, the musical has become one of Broadway’s most beloved hits – but Erivo says there are still plenty of intriguing details for fans to uncover in the movie adaptation.

Several of those secrets can be discovered within Elphaba’s appearance, with Erivo explaining at a recent press event how she used elements of her character’s glam to pay tribute to her own heritage.

“I knew I wanted [Elphaba] to have micro braids and I wanted her to have a full set [of nails] for two reasons: [they are] a nod to my culture and a nod to the world of Oz,” she tells PS at the launch event of her new collaboration with nail brand OPI.

As well as celebrating her culture, Erivo and the production team also wanted Elphaba’s “talons” to tell a story of their own – in a nod to the original “Wizard of Oz” movie.

Margaret Hamilton played the part of the Wicked Witch in the 1939 film, and Erivo explained that she made a point to extend her character’s green skin tone all the way down to her nails in order to make the garish hue as realistic as possible.

While CGI and special effects have come a long way since then, she still wanted Elphaba’s nail look to tell a special part of her story.

“I imagined that her nails were a part of her magic – that they just grew out of her and she hadn’t yet discovered why, like her green skin,” she says, adding that, in the second installment of the movie, audiences will actually see Elphaba’s talons growing as her magic swells within her.

“As she grows into herself, the nails get longer,” revealing that Elphaba’s nails will eventually extend into fierce talons that represent “the realization of her magic within.”

Erivo is now giving others the chance to channel their own manicure magic with her OPI collaboration, which features 12 “Wicked”-inspired shades, including several different greens that pay tribute to Elphaba.

Witch O’Clock is described as a “positively green creme,” while Ozitively Elphaba is a “green with gold pearlescence that knows your power.”

However, Erivo hinted that she may be done with green “for good” after wrapping filming on “Wicked,” revealing that her next major project will see her opting for a blue nail hue.

“I want to start incorporating blue nails on set in future films,” she teases. “Without saying too much or giving any spoilers, there will be a shift from green to blue at some point.”

Thankfully for the starlet, the OPI x Wicked collection (which is due for release on October 1) has two blues on offer: I’m the Wonderfullest, which is “full of multi-colored shimmer,” and Fiyero’s My Mani, a “cobalt blue that nails every prince-iple.”

As far as Erivo is concerned, her nails are a blank canvas through which she expresses her creativity and mood, and there is almost no shade too bold, no length too talon-like, and no design too elaborate for her to try.

Save, that is, for one particular color set. “I can’t do neons,” she jokes. “I’ve tried, and it didn’t work.”

Charlie Lankston is a freelance beauty, fashion, and lifestyle writer and media strategist based in New York City, having relocated to the US in 2014 from her home in London. Charlie spent 10 years working at DailyMail.com, where she oversaw the website’s style, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content. Charlie also appears as an on-air royal and celebrity correspondent.