Select Page

GHWCC Members Strike a Pose with Oscar Nominee, Cynthia Erivo of ‘Harriet’

Jan 31, 2020 | Blog

By Gina Cherelus

The star of “Harriet” was the sole black actor nominated for an Oscar this year. Now one step away from an EGOT, she’s also up for best song and plans to perform it at the ceremony if asked.

It’s not common for actors to snag three major awards for a single performance, but Cynthia Erivo did just that in 2015 for her role as Celie in the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple,” earning her a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy and putting her just one step away from the coveted EGOT club — the rare group of performers who have all those awards plus an Oscar.
Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet,” directed by Kasi Lemmons.

Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet,” directed by Kasi Lemmons.Credit…Glen Wilson/Focus Features, via Associated Press

Now, the actress, singer and songwriter could join the club: on Monday she was nominated for two Academy Awards, for best actress and best song, for the biopic “Harriet.” Those are the first Oscar nominations for the 33-year-old star, who has become known for her powerful soprano and swift Hollywood breakthrough.If she does take home an Oscar, she will be the youngest person ever to become an EGOT winner and in the least time: it will have taken less than five years.

Here’s what happened at the Oscar nominations announcement. See a list of nominees. These were the snubs and surprises.

Reached by phone after flying 12 hours to Japan, where she was scheduled to give concerts, Erivo described the news as crazy, mad. “The whole thing is loopy,” she said. But she was also mindful that she was the sole black star nominated for an acting Oscar this year.

 

 

 

 

Suzan and Oscar Nominee Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce

L to R: Suzan Deison, Cynthia Erivo, Rhonda Arnold, Karen Love, Denise Castillo-Rhodes (Makers Conference, 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

WATCH:
Cynthia Erivo delivers a powerful performance at the 2017 Makers Conference