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ABC News


Cynthia Erivo is one step closer to achieving EGOT status at the 2025 Oscars.

Erivo, 38, is Oscar nominated for best actress her role as Elphaba Thropp in director Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" on Jan. 23, giving her a chance to EGOT -- meaning she would have won all four of the biggest awards in entertainment: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

Erivo told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts in an interview ahead of the Oscars that playing the green-skinned character Elphaba was an experience to which she was able to relate.

Cynthia Erivo in a scene from the movie "Wicked."
Universal

"I just understand what it feels for people to expect less of you than you can give, you know? And that's this character," she told Roberts in an interview that aired Feb. 28 on the “20/20” special, “Countdown to Oscars with Robin Roberts."

Following the news of her Oscar nomination in January, Erivo took to Instagram and wrote, "Moments like this don't come along very often, and when they do, it is sacrilege to let them pass by without a moment of gratitude."

She continued, "I am grateful, grateful to @theacademy, grateful to be a part of something that makes people feel seen, grateful to be a cog in the wheel of a piece that makes us believe in magic, grateful to have experienced a dream come true, and deeply deeply grateful for this unbelievable recognition."

"I often get asked what I would say to my younger self," she added. "Well today there’s nothing to be said. She is smiling, beaming, glowing from ear to ear. That speaks volumes."

Cynthia Erivo arrives for the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, February 25, 2025.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Erivo's EGOT journey began in 2016 when she won a Tony for best leading actress in a musical for playing Celie in "The Color Purple" on Broadway.

Erivo followed that up with a Grammy win in 2017 for best musical theater album for the Broadway cast recording of "The Color Purple" and a Daytime Emmy win in 2018 for outstanding musical performance in a daytime program alongside the Broadway cast of "The Color Purple."

Since then, Erivo has had a few shots at obtaining the EGOT with two Oscar nominations for the film "Harriet."

Cynthia Erivo appears in the official trailer for "Harriet," 2019.
Focus Features/YouTube

She was nominated for best actress for "Harriet" as well as best original song for "Stand Up" from "Harriet" at the 2020 Academy Awards, but didn't win in either category.

With "Wicked," Erivo once again has a chance to defy gravity with her unlimited talents and join the exclusive EGOT club.

Erivo's Elphaba is the protagonist of the Jon M. Chu-directed film, which is an adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" Maguire's book explores characters from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and the 1939 film adaptation "The Wizard of Oz."

"Wicked" follows Elphaba, who is misunderstood for her green skin, as she forges an unlikely friendship with Glinda (Ariana Grande). At the end of the film, Elphaba and Glinda's relationship reaches a crossroad after they meet the Wizard of Oz and their lives take different paths, which will be explored in the forthcoming sequel out this November.

The role of Elphaba is one that Erivo holds dear.

"I felt like I recognized something in the character," Erivo told "The View" in November. "That feeling of being on the outside, being a bit different, not fitting in. And so there was something about it that felt familiar and I felt that it was important to be a part of that storytelling. Because I can understand it."

She continued, "I always felt like I was different. I'm a bit of an odd one out, often. I walk into the room and especially in this particular field of work, I'm different. ...And I don't know how to be anything other than that."

At the National Board of Review Gala in January, she told "Good Morning America" that Elphaba "will always be in my heart."

"I don't think she's ever gonna go anywhere," she said. "But I kind of like that."

During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, which aired on Feb. 9, Erivo said that she tries "not to think about" achieving EGOT status "at all," however she said she is "reminded of it often."

"I just sort of go, 'Well, whenever it's time, it's time.' I'm not necessarily hanging on for it," she continued. "It would be wonderful if it happened, but I think I have to put the work before the award you know? Because that's actually how it has to be."

She added, "I think what it is lovely, is how many people are rooting for me. I guess there's a part of me -- it's like I hope I can at some point make them proud."

The 2025 Oscars will take place Sunday, March 2, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu, ABC News and "Good Morning America."