Cynthia Erivo has stopped trying to "fit in".
The 'Wicked' actress realised early in her career was the best way to approach an audition was to be herself and then "transform" into a role, rather than wanting casting directors to see her as a character.
She told the new issue of Britain's ELLE magazine: "In my very early twenties, I was trying to fit in.
"But I remember, early on, walking into an audition, and seeing people going in as the character, and not as themselves. Because they wanted to be seen as the character.
"But I believe that, if you walk in as yourself, just wholly you, you give anyone who’s watching a chance to see you transform; to become a character, right in front of them, with no need for a costume. That’s the magic!’ "
The 37-year-old star won't censor herself or change her image to make other people happy.
She said: "I keep spotting people saying, why is she bald? She needs to get a wig. Why does it bother you so much that I don’t want to wander around with blonde tresses? I like my bald head. There’s nothing wrong with my hair – it grows in very fast. I just like my face.
"When I walk into a room, I’m not pretending. I’m gonna come in with my nose ring, I’m gonna come in with my earrings and my many piercings and my nails, and I made that decision a long time ago to just, like, be."
Cynthia values her friendship but prefers to be "selective" about who she keeps close to her.
She said: "I have people, but I’m a Capricorn, so I have few people. I’m very selective about who the closest ones are. I think that makes for good relationships, with people who know more than I do."
And one of her closest friends now is her 'Wicked' co-star Ariana Grande.
Cynthia said: "We cultivated a friendship, outside of all of this, that allows us to have these real, deep connective conversations that join us as friends and sisters. We sit on FaceTime for hours."
The full interview with Cynthia is published in the February issue of ELLE UK, which is on sale from 3 January.
For more, visit https://www.elle.com/uk/cynthia-erivo.
