Cynthia Erivo, patron saint of stan Twitter, is now a memoirist, with “Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much,” out today with Flatiron Books. The 208-page book traces her South London childhood and the path that led her through drama school, the West End and Broadway.
In her memoir, Erivo writes at length about her estrangement from her father, who disowned her when she was 16 after an argument in a London train station. She notes the irony that they share both a singing voice and the same gap in their front teeth. In a recent interview with NPR, she reveals that she’s reached a place of “acceptance” and “strange apathy,” adding that she isn’t seeking reconciliation and doesn’t dwell on repairing the relationship. “I don’t wish him harm,” she said, “but it’s not like I’m waiting for some grand resolution.”
Erivo also chronicles her journey with her sexuality, explaining that she hid it as a teenager and only began dating women in her late twenties. She says her coming out was challenging for her mother and sister, describing it as a process they are “still navigating,” even as she remains open about her identity.
Elsewhere, Erivo details instances of racism and microaggressions she’s faced in professional spaces. At London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she describes being asked to sing from behind a curtain while white classmates lip-synced her voice. During her run as Celie in The Color Purple in London, she recalls critics complaining that her character wasn’t “gray” or “decrepit” enough and that the show “wasn’t violent enough.” Those experiences, she writes, continue to shape her performances, including her return as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande in “Wicked: For Good,” in theaters Nov. 21.
