Wicked star Cynthia Erivo couldn’t be happier to address the latest discourse surrounding the steamy yet controversial gray woolly cardigan taking the internet by storm. Fashioned by Paul Tazewell for the film Wicked: For Good, the scene-stealing cardigan makes an appearance during the romantic duet of “As Long As You’re Mine” between Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Erivo), where they solidify their feelings for each other and consummate their relationship – in a PG-rated way, of course.
Since the film’s release, fan reception of the cozy wear has ranged from pure obsession to outright bewilderment. During an intimate event held by Airbnb and Universal on the recreated Elphaba’s Retreat set, Deadline asked Erivo about her thoughts on the provocative threads in question.
Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) in Wicked: For Good.
Universal
“The idea was to shoot the song with all of her armor on, with the hat and the coat and the cape. And I thought a couple of things. One, why, if she was in a space that was her own, where she felt the most safe and comfortable, would she still be in her armor?” Erivo said. “And two, when do we have an opportunity to see her green from head to toe? When do we get to be reminded that it’s not just makeup? I know that there have been conversations about her seducing and all of that, but honestly, that’s just not the case.”
At the start of the duet, Fiyero and Elphaba coyly express their feelings for each other through light touching and sly glances until the pair finally pluck up the courage to express their heart’s desire to each other unabashedly. Erivo explains that the cardigan and the lacy black lingerie underneath further enhance that vulnerability dance between the two lovers. “We find out way before this moment that Fiyero loves Elphaba, and that he sees something in her that is different from what other people see. All I really wanted was for everyone to see her as someone vulnerable, soft, sometimes awkward and anxious. Someone who doesn’t [always] necessarily believe in herself.”
Cynthia Erivo shares behind-the-scenes look at Wicked: For Good Cardigan.
Instagram @cynthiaerivo
Breaking down the moment where Elphaba rejects Fiyero’s sentiment when he calls her beautiful, after he is overcome with emotion upon seeing all the hateful Emerald City propaganda pamphlets that she’s kept about herself in her forest retreat, Erivo continued: “When she says to him, ‘Don’t lie to me,’ I think she means it. There’s no reason for her to believe him when he calls her beautiful. No one else has ever called her that. Nobody, except for Glinda.”
About rampant discourse about the cardigan, the actor also added: “I just wanted to present an opportunity to see this character where everybody, at this point in the film, have seen Elphaba as the strong, fighting woman who is the Wicked Witch as someone who could actually, when on her own, be the opposite, when comfortable enough to be so. That’s what that was. I just wanted something that removed the armor for a second, while, yes, showing you a more sensual, more connected side of her. The aim was not to turn her into a sexual object, but instead a softer human being worthy of being loved and having an intimate moment with someone.”
