Cynthia Erivo is basking in the massive success of her latest release Wicked, and her nomination for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category. The film scored an impressive 10 nods, including one for Best Picture. However, director Jon M. Chu was shut out in the Best Director category, a fact that is still not sitting well with the actor. In an interview with Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, the actor shared her thoughts on the snub. (Also read:
What Cynthia said about the snub
During the chat, when Cynthia was asked about Jon M. Chu not getting into the top five, the actor said: "I don’t know. I wish people understood just how much work has to go into creating a big, giant behemoth like Wicked. None of that can happen without his vision. It just isn’t possible. He is the who can see who is right for this, who cast us in these roles, who asked for nine million tulips, who says he wants to build a real set so it feels embedded in reality. It’s him! He says he wants the camera right in Elphaba’s face when she walks down the steps in the Ozdust Ballroom. There is a kind of vision that you have to have in order to be in control of something that could run away from you very quickly if you don’t know what to do.”
She went on to add, "I think he is an exquisite director. The people that he put in charge of every department! That also takes skill.”
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{{/usCountry}}She went on to add, "I think he is an exquisite director. The people that he put in charge of every department! That also takes skill.”
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{{/usCountry}}The ones who were nominated in the Best Director category include Sean Baker for Anora, Coralie Fargeat for The Substance, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, James Mangold for A Complete Unknown, and Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez.
Wicked, the first of two Universal Pictures films based on a Broadway prequel to The Wizard of Oz, stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the story of a misunderstood, green-skinned student of magic who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked also stars Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Ethan Slater in pivotal roles.