Move over Broadway divas; Angelina Jolie and Cynthia Erivo are in the building! The two powerhouse performers recently sat down for Variety’s Actors on Actors issue, and let me tell you, the conversation was as juicy as a musical number’s dramatic key change. Topics ranged from Angelina hitting opera high notes to Cynthia literally defying gravity. Let’s dive in.
Angelina Jolie: Opera Diva in Training?
So, apparently, Angelina has been dabbling in opera. Yep, Lara Croft is now belting out arias. But was she confident about it? Not even close.
“I was terrified,” she admitted, which is pretty wild coming from someone who used to jump off cliffs for a living in action movies. “It felt like therapy—which I didn’t mean to admit, but here we are. Singing forced me to find my voice, which I didn’t realize had been hiding, probably somewhere between my mother passing away and my kids asking for snacks every five seconds.”
Cue the tearjerker moment: Angelina realized she’d lost her voice somewhere along life’s rollercoaster. But now? She’s practically the Beyoncé of opera. “I wish everyone could feel what it’s like to sing with your whole chest,” she said. Same, Angie. Same.
Cynthia Erivo: Flying, Singing, and Owning the Stage
Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo casually mentioned how she sang live on set for Wicked. No biggie, right? WRONG. Imagine hitting those iconic “Defying Gravity” notes while strapped into a harness and flying through the air like an overachieving Cirque du Soleil performer.
“There’s no backing track; it’s all me,” Cynthia said, probably while flipping her hair in triumph. “Sometimes I’d start a song, and the pianist would just figure it out. Breaks in the voice? Whispers? All part of the magic.” Cynthia’s basically living every singer’s dream… and nightmare. But hey, she nailed it, because that’s what icons do.
Oh, and those “Defying Gravity” vibes? Cynthia felt the pressure. “Everyone knows that song. People love it. No one wants to be the person who ruins it.” Spoiler alert: she didn’t. She also managed to throw in a humblebrag about balancing singing, acting, and flying. You know, normal Thursday stuff.
Angelina’s Mom Moment: Wicked Hits Different
Angelina’s got a soft spot for Wicked. She took her daughter (plus a few other Jolie-Pitt kiddos) to see the show, and let’s just say it was a MOMENT.
“When she saw ‘Defying Gravity,’ I saw it hit her,” Angelina shared. “As a mom, you just want art to make an impact, and I could see her realizing there’s this huge world of possibilities. It was like watching her discover she could be an astronaut or the CEO of her sibling-run lemonade stand.”
Honestly, between Angelina’s heartfelt reflection and Cynthia conquering the musical universe, it’s clear: these women are defying gravity—and expectations.
