Cynthia Erivo gives her unfiltered take on woolly cardigan controversy in 'Wicked'

Cynthia Erivo recently got candid and opened up about the controversy related to her gray woolly cardigan in Wicked: For Good.

For those unaware, Erivo’s character Elphaba wore a “s*x cardigan” during the romantic song As Long As You’re Mine, in which she and Prince Fiyero (played by Jonathan Bailey) get physically intimate to strengthen their relationship in a PG-rated way.

As the scene, particularly her designer cozy wear, received mixed reviews, from pure obsession to criticism, the 38-year-old English actress, singer, and songwriter also articulated her thoughts in a talk with Deadline.

Erivo said, “The idea was to shoot the song with all of her armor on, with the hat and the coat and the cape. And I thought a couple of things. One, why, if she was in a space that was her own, where she felt the most safe and comfortable, would she still be in her armor?”

“And two, when do we have an opportunity to see her green from head to toe? When do we get to be reminded that it’s not just makeup? I know that there have been conversations about her seducing and all of that, but honestly, that’s just not the case."

“We find out way before this moment that Fiyero loves Elphaba, and that he sees something in her that is different from what other people see. All I really wanted was for everyone to see her as someone vulnerable, soft, sometimes awkward and anxious. Someone who doesn’t [always] necessarily believe in herself," the Pinocchio star explained.

It is pertinent to mention that Wicked: For Good was released on November 21, 2025.