Why Cynthia Erivo Wears Prosthetic Ears in ‘Wicked’

There was much more to Cynthia Erivo Evil makeup than just green paint.

In an interview with Elle published on Thursday, November 14, the singer and actress, 37, shared behind-the-scenes details about her on-set preparation process for the highly anticipated film. In addition to massive amounts of green makeup to transform into her character Elphaba, Erivo also wore prosthetic ears for the role.

“I have a million piercings, so they brought in a prosthetics artist who basically created a shell for my ears,” she told the magazine. “Those aren’t my ears!”

The Broadway star also shared that the shade of green makeup used in the film was custom made for her.

“It was literally ‘Cynthia Green,'” Erivo said. “Depending on how much green we were doing—head, chest, hands, the whole body—it could take up to four hours.”

“Everything was special, right down to my eyebrows,” she further explained of the painstaking makeup process. “(My makeup artist) created a vacuum mold so the freckles would stay in the same place every day.”

Erivo also pulled back the curtain on the physical demands of the musical role.

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“I was up at six in the morning doing my treadmill workout,” she recalled. “I ran and sang on the treadmill. I always made sure my body was ready. I needed to get my body used to being on wires (for the flying scenes). There’s a thrill I got from it. I enjoyed it . the power of being able to get on a wire and be turned upside down. It’s not going to go right the first time – maybe the second or third – and that’s okay.”

Throughout Evil press tour, Erivo and her costar Ariana Grande lean all the way in method dressing in keeping with their characters. Grande, who plays Glinda, has embraced all things pink and iridescent, in keeping with Glinda’s signature feminine style.

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Erivo has also donned her fair share of witchy ensembles. At the premiere in Mexico City on Nov. 11, the star turned heads in a Thom Browne column gown that featured long sleeves and theatrical hands at the shoulders. The hooded top also buttoned down the front for even more drama.