CYNTHIA ERIVO
Stunning Portrayal Of Harriet Tubman
We all learned about Harriet Tubman in school, a former slave turned abolitionist who, after escaping slavery, helped free others. Tubman did so by leading them through the Underground Railroad. It was a network of secret routes and safe houses set up by abolitionists and former slaves to help others escape to free states and Canada. Tubman’s bravery didn’t stop there, she went on to become an armed scout and spy for the Union during the Civil War. She spent her later years as a member of the Women’s Suffrage movement. And now, after many years in development, Harriet Tubman has her own movie, Harriet.
Harriet had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, with critics singling out the leading performance in the film. Who is this actor garnering such praise? Cynthia Erivo. Erivo is a British-born actor and singer of Nigerian descent who got her start on the stage in London’s West End in a production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Her first screen credit came in 2015 in and episode of the Netflix series, Chewing Gum. She made her big screen debut in 2018, with roles in Steve McQueen’s women-driven action film, Widows, alongside the likes of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, and Elizabeth Debicki, and as part of the ensemble cast of Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale.
Erivo is best known for her portrayal of Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, the role originated by Whoopi Goldberg on screen. Erivo went on to win a Tony for her performance in the Broadway revival. Playing Celie in The Color Purple is not the only Goldberg-originated role Erivo has played, she also played Sister Mary Clarence in the UK tour of Sister Act.
She may not have many screen credits yet to her name, but her star power is clearly growing. Erivo was recently cast in the upcoming HBO miniseries The Outsider, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. She will always be portraying Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic anthology series, Genius.
Harriet is now playing in theaters across the U.S.
