Cynthia Erivo Brings "Extravagant" Nail Trends to 'Wicked' for a Very Symbolic Reason

You don't often walk into a bright green room studded with disco balls to nerd out about musical theater and manicures. But that was the case at the launch of Wicked x OPI nail polish collection in New York City, where Cynthia Erivo kicked off the collab with a bejeweled talon manicure befitting Elphaba, the iconic character she portrays in the film adaptation.

“Right now, our base color tends to be green,” Erivo tells me at the event, adding that her favorite shade in the collection, out October 1, is “Ozitively Elphaba,” a shimmery forest shade named for her iconic character. As for the particular manicure she wore to the launch event: “[My nail artist] said she wanted something a little bit more autumnal and sexy. And I was like, I like that vibe. I love jewels on my nails. I like to make them extravagant.”

Erivo is forever a nail girl (see here, here, and here), so when she was cast in a film in which costumes, hair, and makeup are practically stars themselves, she saw an opportunity to get creative.

“I knew I wanted her to have micro braids, and I knew I wanted her to have a full set,” Erivo shares, adding that the choices are “a nod to my culture and a nod to the character.” A major reference came straight out of Oz. “The original Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, there's that infamous shadow picture of her, and she’s got these nails,” she says.

Erivo wanted that imagery to continue in the prequel, almost like a manicure origin story. “What we did was create a nail that felt like it wasn't just a nail that was done for her, but actually came from her genetic makeup,” she says.

As Elphaba continues to discover herself, her nails evolve too. “Further on in the movie, there's a moment where they have a makeover, and she gets these sparkly black, metallic green nails,” she explains. This mani-volution will continue well into Wicked Part Two, out in 2025. “In the second movie, they're much longer, much more expressive. We're playing with the marbling of it, we're playing with ombré.” It’s fun and fantastical, but it’s also symbolic. “It’s a realization of the magic that she has,” the star says.

Erivo has worked with Rose Hackle, a.k.a. @rosedoesmynails, for the better part of five years, so there was no question who she’d call in preparation for the press tour of a career. With Wicked, perhaps more than ever, Erivo’s manicures are an integral piece of the aesthetic puzzle—so it’s important to work with a nail artist she trusts implicitly.

“When I first was with her, I would sort of lead her in a particular direction, and now I think she knows me well enough to know what I will like and won't,” she explains.

Erivo says the pair storyboards out their looks well in advance, so we’ll surely see many more gorgeous sets in the leadup to the film’s release on November 22. “There are no limits as far as we can go,” she says. “Except for neons, I can’t do neons.”

While you won't find iridescent shades in the collection below, you will unlock a mystical collection of 12 Wicked-coded hues. Shop ahead.