Cynthia Erivo opens up about exhausting ‘Wicked’ experience

Cynthia Erivo opened up about sleep deprivation on set of the musical Wicked.

During the screening of the musical and a Q&A in Los Angeles on December 12, the 37-year-old actress shared that she gave up on sleep while playing Elphaba. 

Erivo admitted she’s unsure and has her doubts about whether pushing herself so hard for work is considered “healthy,” revealing she used to sleep for less than three hours a night while filming for the hit film. 

She talked about her intense routine, which included waking up early for a two hour long workout, then another two hours spent in the make-up chair to prepare for her call time on the set. 

“I think I consciously run towards things that will use me physically, as well as mentally, because I believe that the body and the mind are intrinsically, truly intrinsically linked,” she stated.

The Harriet star continued to explain that she sees the mind and body as interconnected, with each capable of influencing the other. She values balance of both in her life and work, and tries to keep both in sync and engaged.