Cynthia Erivo. (Photo by DFree via Bigstockphoto)
Award-winning actress and singer, Cynthia Erivo opened up about her sexuality in the August Pride-themed issue of British Vogue, which features her as one of the celebrities in its cover story.
In the interview, Erivo stated that it took a long time for her to share her bisexual identity due to the pressure confronted by LGBTQ community in the fashion industry.
“[Many LGBTQ+ people] still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently,” Erivo said. “Rather than being chastised for that, we should be commended for being brave. That’s the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are.”
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Erivo had previously identified herself as queer in an interview with the Evening Standard last August.
When asked about her song, “The Good,” she replied to the paper, “It’s not necessarily autobiographical, but I am queer.”
“I have never felt like I necessarily needed to come out – just because no-one ever really asked. People make assumptions … No one’s ever really assumed that I’m straight!” she says. “I don’t think anyone thinks of me as a person that has relationships that aren’t platonic! So I’ve never needed to even really discuss anything about my sexuality at all.”
Erivo won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2016 for her performance in “The Color Purple” and she was nominated for two Oscars in 2019 — Best Actress and Best Original Song — for the film “Harriet.” Last year, it was announced that Erivo will play Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande as Glinda is the highly anticipated film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”
Erivo stars next as the Blue Fairy is Disney’s live-action remake of “Pinocchio,” coming to Disney+ Sept. 8.
