Cynthia Erivo Says She Got ‘2 to 3 Hours’ of Sleep a Night While Filming Wicked: ‘There Were No Small Days’

The actress stars in the prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as Elphaba. Cynthia Erivo doesn’t press snooze.

During a screening of Wicked and Q&A with Kristen Bell at the Academy Museum’s the Ted Mann Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 12, the actress, 37, revealed that she sacrificed sleep while playing Elphaba in the recently released film.

“I think I consciously run towards things that will use me physically, as well as mentally, because I believe that the body and the mind are intrinsically, truly intrinsically linked,” Erivo said.

“Sometimes the body is the thing that tells the mind what to do, and sometimes the mind is the thing that will tell the body what to do because I feel like I’m a very physical person.

I want both things to be in action. I want both things to be being used,” she continued.

The actress then confessed that she’s torn about whether or not pushing herself for her roles is “healthy,” as she detailed she would sleep for less than three hours a night while filming Wicked.

According to Erivo, she would first wake up for a two-hour workout, which would be followed by sitting in the makeup chair for up to two hours to be ready for her 5 a.m. call time.

The star explained that exercising routinely was necessary because her body had to be conditioned for the flying stunts.

“I had never flown before. I just knew I wanted to, I’d flown a small amount, but nothing like this before,” Erivo said.

“And that requires your core to be the strongest you could possibly be, because the wires will take you from one place to another.”

“JoMcLaren, my stunt coordinator, was so good with me. She was like, ‘Are you sure you want to do all of this?’ And I said, ‘Yes,’ ” she continued.

“And so what I would need to do is be ready enough so that when the wires are working to move me from point A to point B to point C, if we’re doing a loop to loop, which is that big loop, I have to get myself over and round without my legs just falling behind me.”

For Erivo, several “self-inflicted” lifestyle choices have helped to ensure that she can maintain her intense routine.

“I learned that an infrared sauna blanket is very helpful with the bruising on the inside,” Erivo said.

“I learned that a therapist is also really helpful with the bruising on the inside. I live a little bit like a monk when I’m doing these things.”

“I naturally don’t drink or smoke or eat meat or any of those things. I’m sorry, I’m very boring, but I am in my house,” she continued.

Added Erivo: “I stay indoors and I try to take those moments when I can actually rest. I don’t get very much sleep doing these things. So the two or three hours that I do get, I try to make them good quality too.”

Erivo also told the crowd at the Q&A that she would try to wind down from her day on the set of Wicked during the hour-and-a-half it took to remove her makeup, though she confessed it was “so hard” after being amped up all day.

“No days were small. There were no small days. None,” Erivo explained.

Wicked: Part One is in theaters now, with Part Two due Nov. 26, 2025.