Cynthia Erivo On Being Harriet - 'It Was The Role I Was Born To Play'

It was the role I was born to play

- Cynthia Erivo

I stand on the bridge above the freezing, roaring river. I am out of options, the enemy clos-ing in on me from each direc-tion. The only way out is down. To jump into the swirling rapids below. The way to safety, to freedom. Or to death. I look to the left, look to the right and then do what I always do, ask God for help. Then I jump.

“Cut!”

I play abolitionist Harriet Tubman— a woman of great courage, strength, and faith—in the movie Harriet. Taking on the role was a leap in and of itself. A leap of faith.

Most of us know the story. Harriet Tubman made multiple trips into slave-owning territory and brought out some 70 enslaved people on what was called the Underground Railroad, even though by doing so she could have been killed or returned to slavery herself. In the Civil War, she fought with the Union, the first American woman to lead a military expedition. She was celebrated for her valor. All of that can be found in the history books I read as a child growing up in England. (My mother had immigrated there from Nigeria.) What was really at the heart of Harriet Tubman’s bravery?

As an actor, you naturally study the character you’re playing, read all you can about them. One reason I was cast was that I’m short like Harriet Tubman, a little over five feet. I’m also a fairly physical actor. She was strong, powerful. To play this part, I knew I would have to work out even harder than usual to be able to do what she did. Lots of trips to the gym.