Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 Oscars.Photo:Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty
IfCynthia Erivo’s red carpet résumé proves anything, it’s that she’s always willing to push boundaries. There’s almost no aesthetic the actress can’t pull off and that includes her signature beauty look.
Over the years, the Oscar-nominated star, 38, has become known for her clean-shaven look, so much so that you might pause and think: Has Cynthia Erivo always been bald? Well, the answer is no.
Erivo has, in fact, rocked many hairstyles on and off screen — from a bleached buzz cut to lilac mermaid braids to short curls — but it wasn’t until she stepped into the role of Elphaba for Jon M. Chu’sWicked in2023that she decided to fully take the plunge. Here’s why.
Cynthia Erivo at the Australia “Wicked” premiere on Nov. 3 2024.Don Arnold/WireImage
Don Arnold/WireImage
Transforming into the the Wicked Witch of the West was no easy feat and it required hours of work put into airbrushing Erivo’s skin with custom green makeup. Because her character’s costume involved a variety of braided wigs, Erivo decided to shave her head so that, when her scalp was painted over, the hairpieces looked natural.
In a September 2024 interview withVanity Fair,she joked that her first reaction to seeing herself with a bald, Elphaba-green head was like looking at a “little bald-headed green lady.” She added that she is more than ready to shave her head again, even if not for a role.
The look, which Erivo has touted many times on the red carpet during theWickedpress tour, the recent circuit of awards show and briefly in 2021 for the Met Gala, has not come without criticism.
Cynthia Erivo at the 2021 Met Gala.Getty
Erivo has also made bleached brows and even no-brows her trademark look, a beauty choice that is more intentional than her baldness. “I have no eyebrows. I shave them off on purpose. Whenever I’m talking to my makeup artist, I tell her that I just want to look like a pretty thumb,” she said in an October 2024 interview withWmagazine.
Even that had an effect on how she andWickedmakeup and hair designer Frances Hannon approached Elphaba’s appearance. “Weused eyebrow stencilsbecause Cynthia shaves her eyebrows. I worked out the best shape and had them all bespoke made,” said the expert on set in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the movie’s release.
Cynthia Erivo at the London “Wicked” premiere on Nov. 18, 2024.Neil Mockford/WireImage
Neil Mockford/WireImage
In 2023, the Broadway star reflected on her early decisions to not let her hair define her after realizing she had been using a longer style to hide. “I was doing it for such a long time,” she toldShape. “I remember saying to myself, ‘I’d like to walk into a room and have people just see my face.’ ”
She admitted that her first attempt at reinventing her hairstyle didn’t go as planned. “[My hairdresser] would only cut some of it. So I left with a haircut that I didn’t want,” she told the outlet. “I allowed [my hairdresser’s] fears or something she was projecting onto me to affect how I made my decision.” So, she found her voice, ended up getting the cut she did want and realized: “My beauty doesn’t stem from how I do my hair.”
Erivo has come a long way in her journey and her confidence radiates through her style. Most recently, she attended the2025 Oscarswearing a custom Louis Vuitton ball gown that paid tribute to Elphaba and Hattie McDaniel, the first Black person to win an Oscar when she took home a statue for Best Supporting Actress in 1940 forGone with the Wind.
Fans might be getting a bit of a break fromWickednow — that is, until the sequel comes out in November this year — however, all eyes will certainly be peeled for Erivo’s red carpet entrance at the2025 Tony Awards, which will she will be hosting at Radio City Music Hall on June 8.
source: people.com
