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Cynthia Erivo Publishes Memoir ‘Simply More,’ Detailing Father’s Abandonment and Her Path to Healing

The release coincides with her Wicked: For Good press tour, highlighting how portraying Elphaba helped her process long-held pain.

Overview

  • The book recounts her father leaving her at 16 in a London Underground station, which she says was their final interaction.
  • Erivo writes that she has absolved him, feels no animosity, and is comfortable without a relationship.
  • She says portraying Elphaba in Wicked helped her channel the hurt and clarify what she had been seeking.
  • She describes burying her sexuality as a teen, dating women only in her late twenties, and says her mother and sister are still navigating her coming out.
  • The memoir also details racism in her training and early career, including being told to sing behind a curtain at RADA while white classmates lip-synced.