“There is a kind of mentality that wants us to put our heads down and shrink”

Cynthia Erivo has failed to find her place in London. The actress received more encouragement in America.

The Wicked actress, who owns a house in her hometown, admitted she felt out of place in the British capital in the past.

Cynthia Erivo told Elle UK of her relationship with London: “Before, I felt like I didn’t belong. I expressed my desire to have more for myself and people stopped me. Or told me that I was ungrateful, that I looked down on others. That was never the case… But I always wondered how far I could go.”

The 38-year-old actress then explained how difficult it can be to be recognized in the English capital.

“There’s kind of a mentality that we put our heads down and shrink,” Cynthia Erivo said. But you still work very, very hard. That’s why when you go to Los Angeles or New York, you already have the tools you need. But today, when we are also encouraged, we flourish.”

The Harriet actress made a name for herself in New York with the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a Tony Award, between 2015 and 2017.

She’s not the first black British actor to pursue a career in the US after feeling restricted in the UK – Idris Elba, David Harewood and Daniel Kaluuya have spoken out about it in the past.