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From Wondery, I'm Megan Begala, and this is Who's Amazing Life.
You've heard of people who changed the course of history, but before they made their mark on the world, they were people like you and me still figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.
On this episode, you will be that person everyone knows.
You might be a musician, or an athlete, a scientist, or a painter.
You may know what the person accomplished later in life, but now you can experience everything they faced along the way, from challenges and heartbreak to triumphs and excitement.
All the moments that built this person into someone who would change the world.
There will be clues, so pay attention.
But only at the end will you find out who you are.
So sit back and imagine your amazing life as The Outsider.
Imagine, you're 15 years old, sitting next to a friend in a very crowded hallway.
You're both waiting to audition for Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic, one of the best-known theaters in London.
All around you, kids pace, muttering bits of Shakespeare to themselves.
Your friend fidgets as he looks over the lines.
He gives you a nudge.
Are you nervous?
I'm so nervous!
Nah, I'm excited.
You'll do great!
We'll be right back.
But as you head down the long corridor, you feel the eyes of the other kids watching you.
And it doesn't exactly feel good.
I heard she's auditioning for Juliet.
Juliet?
She doesn't look like Juliet at all.
You try to keep your eyes locked straight in front of you.
You're one of just a few black actors auditioning.
And on top of that, you're not dressed like most of the other girls.
They're mostly wearing muted colors like navy and tan, while you're wearing a bright green headscarf borrowed from your mom.
What is she wearing?
Suddenly, you feel like a total outsider.
Your stomach sinks and your heart pounds.
Is there a rule about clothes that you missed?
Is the director going to rule you out for not looking the way he expects the character to look?
You step into the audition room and try to refocus.
Maybe you don't stand a chance of getting cast, but at least you can be Juliet for a few seconds right now.
The play's director gives you a warm smile.
Whenever you're ready.
You take a deep breath and imagine Juliet in the balcony scene.
Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face, else would a maiden blush but paint my cheek.
Juliet is speaking to Romeo, and as you say her words, you realize something.
She's describing the same feeling you have right now.
She loves Romeo passionately, but she's afraid he might reject her.
You feel the same way about this audition.
Performing is your passion, and you really don't want to be rejected.
You feel like you are Juliet.
You're on your balcony, looking up at the stars.
You're joyful, excited, and scared all at once.
You say what's in your heart and the words come to you as if you just thought of them.
My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep.
The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.
You say the final lines of the monologue and wait anxiously for Romeo's reply.
Then you blink, and the night sky fades into the ceiling.
You're back in the audition room.
The director nods.
Wow, I can tell you brought something of yourself to the role.
Yeah, I guess I did.
Well, it was lovely.
In fact...
I'd like to cast you as Juliet.
You would?
I mean, that's great.
Thank you.
You feel your chest swell with pride as you shake the director's hand.
You got the part.
Out in the hallway, the director announces that the role of Juliet is cast.
You hear some of the kids around you grumbling.
I can't believe it.
She's gonna play Juliet?
Why?
This time, it's easy to brush them off.
Maybe you are an outsider, but you can still play Juliet.
You just have to connect to her the way you did in that audition room.
You definitely want to keep acting.
And most of all, you want to keep letting your true self shine through, no matter what.
Over the next few years, you keep auditioning and improving as a singer and an actor.
You love being on stage.
If you could wave a magic wand, you'd get to perform every day.
But you're not sure you could ever be a professional actor.
You rarely see Black actors in British theater or on TV.
Instead, you go to college for music psychology so you can be a music therapist.
At least you'll still have music in your life, and the job feels like a more realistic possibility.
But your schoolwork bores you.
It's not what you really want, and it feels wrong to pretend.
Five years after Romeo and Juliet, you bump into the director who cast you in the show.
She suggests you apply to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, or RADA, a prestigious drama school that prepares students for careers in the arts.
It's no guarantee you'll get in.
Most of the people who apply have already had years of theater training.
You've had none of that, but you work hard to prepare.
And at your audition, you let your true self shine through.
A few days later, you get the call.
You're in!
You're excited to go to RADA, but nervous too.
You hope your new teachers and classmates will accept you.
You hope they'll appreciate what makes you unique.
You're 20 years old, backstage at the biggest theater on the RADA campus.
The curtain is about to go up, and the dressing room is buzzing with nervous energy.
As you add the finishing touches to your makeup, you try to smile at yourself in the mirror, but it feels kind of fake.
You've been at drama school for a few months now, and it isn't what you expected.
There are only three other Black students in your year, and most of your teachers don't seem to know what to do with you.
They cast you in the same type of roles over and over.
Tough, strong, black women who don't show much emotion, as if that's all you can do.
That's the type of role you'll be playing tonight.
One of your classmates stops by to give you a quick hug.
Break a leg!
Oh, thanks.
You too.
You look at yourself again in the mirror.
Sure, sometimes you're strong, but there's so much more to you than that.
Your white classmates get to play all kinds of different roles.
Why can't you?
The musical you're doing tonight doesn't have any strong Black characters, so you got a tiny part, even though you're one of the best singers in the class.
In the reflection in the mirror, you catch a glance at the other side of the room.
It seems like there's some commotion.
Everyone is gathering around the star actress, Jane, with looks of concern.
Does anyone have water with lemon?
Here, Jane, try this throat drop.
Moments later, your teacher comes sprinting your way.
Can I ask you a favor, dear?
It's an emergency.
Jane has a sore throat.
It might even be laryngitis.
Oh no.
Is she okay?
She'll be fine.
But she can't sing her part tonight and we have five minutes to curtain.
Your heart pounds.
You feel bad for Jane, but you know her part like the back of your hand.
You could definitely go on in her place.
I'm sorry she's sick, but yes, this means so much to me.
I guess I need to change my costume.
No need.
Stay as you are.
You'll be safely backstage.
Backstage?
We'll put you behind a curtain.
You can sing all the songs and Jane will lip sync to your voice.
She can still act the part and the show goes on.
For a second, you're too surprised to answer.
Then you nod.
Um, sure, I can do that.
Wonderful, I knew I could count on you.
Your teacher beams and guides you to your place, upstage and hidden from the audience.
The show begins and you tell yourself that this is good.
The theater is packed with people.
You want to make sure they get a good show.
But as you start singing the opening number, you have a creeping sensation that this isn't fair.
If you're good enough to sing the part, aren't you good enough to do it for an audience?
You shouldn't feel like an outsider at your own school.
Your teachers should want to put you on stage, no matter what you look like.
Even if the audience enjoys the show, you can't be happy performing like this.
You want to celebrate your race, your looks, your voice, everything that makes you unique.
If you can't perform as your true, authentic self, you don't want to perform at all.
After that night, you promise to never hide your talent behind a curtain again and to fight for the roles you want.
Soon after graduating RADA, you book the lead in a big musical, Sister Act.
While you're touring the UK with your show, you hear about a production of another musical that is close to your heart The Color Purple.
You've always wanted to play Celie, the main character.
But when you ask to audition for the role, the producers say no.
They see you as a tough, strong, black actor.
And Celie is quiet and sweet.
They don't think you're right for the part.
Instead, they suggest you audition for an understudy role.
As an understudy, you'd learn Celie's part and work as hard as any actor in the show, but you wouldn't get to perform on stage as often.
It's an exciting job, but it doesn't feel right.
The producers are wrong about you, just like your teachers were in drama school.
You feel a deep connection to Celie, and you know you can tell her story.
To be true to yourself, you have to fight for the role you feel meant to play.
You turn down the producer's offer and ask again.
You want to audition for Celie and nothing else.
You push open the door to a quiet, dimly lit room.
You're 25 years old and the producers of The Color Purple are finally letting you.
Audition for Celie.
You've spent the last two days preparing and the last two nights lying in bed wide awake, speaking her lines to the ceiling.
You've barely slept but you're too excited to feel tired.
The show's director introduces himself.
Thank you for coming in.
You can begin.
There are two other people watching from the back of the room.
You wonder if they're the producers who didn't want to call you in.
They may still think you're wrong for the part, but you can't worry about that now.
You take a calming breath and start your first scene.
You love playing Celie.
She's sweet and shy, but she grows wiser and more confident as the show goes on.
She's an outsider, just like you, but she learns to love herself.
After the last scene, you pause.
This is normally when the director would ask you to sing, but he doesn't.
Good, good.
That was very good.
Tell me, did you grow up in London?
Um, yes, sir.
In Stockwell.
Hmm, I see.
And how was it?
You're confused.
Directors never ask you personal questions during auditions.
It was good.
My mom immigrated here from Nigeria.
She raised me and my sister on her own.
She's the best.
The director smiles.
He seems genuinely curious about you.
And you went to RADA.
That's quite an accomplishment.
Thank you.
Yes, that was great.
I mean, most of the time.
I didn't always fit in there.
Ah, I see.
A bit like Celie, then.
Now you understand why he's asking you these questions.
You know exactly what to say.
You tell the director about your childhood, how hard your mother worked to raise you and your sister, and how much you always loved to sing.
You tell him that you were an outsider at drama school and that sometimes you still feel isolated and judged.
But you've learned to hang on to what makes you you, whether other people accept it or not.
Just like Celie.
The director nods.
Interesting.
Thank you for sharing.
Now, are you ready to sing? you are definitely ready to sing.
You launch into Celie's final song from the show.
It's about taking pride in who you really are.
You feel like you're singing for Celie and yourself.
And when you finish, the director applauds.
You glance at the people in the back of the room.
They both have tears in their eyes.
And just like that, the audition's over.
You walk home, but you feel like you could fly.
You might have to wait weeks, even months, to find out if you booked the role, but you feel like you've already won.
You performed a role that someone else had written, but at the same time, you let your true self shine through.
You are an outsider, but it's not a bad thing.
It's the reason you were able to tell the character's story.
You hope you get to do it again soon.
You're cast as Celie in the London production of The Color Purple and your performance gets rave reviews.
In 2015, you play the role again in a revival of The Color Purple on Broadway.
The show is a huge hit.
You win a Tony Award for your performance and the cast wins Emmy and Grammy Awards for Best Musical Performance and Best Musical Theater Album.
You go on to play more.
Inspiring Black women who defy common stereotypes, like Harriet Tubman and Aretha Franklin.
In 2019, you are nominated for an Academy Award or Oscar for your role as Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet, making you one of the few artists to be nominated for all four of the biggest awards in entertainment Emmy Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Offscreen, you celebrate your uniqueness with bold fashion choices and dazzling nail art that makes headlines.
You release an album of original songs and write a children's book.
Remember to dream, Ebere.
In 2024 you take on another role that honors the outsider Elphaba in the movie version of the musical Wicked.
Your incredible performance earns you another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
You inspire people everywhere to dream big, be themselves, and defy gravity.
You are Cynthia Erivo.
If you like, Whose Amazing Life.
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Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondry.com slash survey.
From Wondery, this is Who's Amazing Life.
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details.
While we can't know exactly what was said, we use many sources when researching our stories.
Some that were particularly helpful include Who is Cynthia Erivo by Crystal Hubbard and the podcast Professional Troublemaker with Lovie Ajayi-Jones.
I'm your host, Megan Begala.
This episode was written by Lizzie Prestel.
Sound design by Marcus Begala.
Additional assistance is by Sergio Enriquez.
Desi Blaylock is our managing producer.
Callum Clues is our senior managing producer.
Our senior producers are Megan Begala, Ginny Plume, and Jennifer Klein-Walker.
Executive producers are Marshall Louis and Erin O'Flaherty for Wondery.
