Cynthia Erivo will receive the Creative Impact in Acting Award at Variety’s Creative Impact Awards during the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, the entertainment publication announced Thursday.
Erivo will be honored for her performance as Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s screen adaptation of “Wicked,” the first part of Jon M. Chu’s screen adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical.
“Wicked” was released in the United States on Nov. 22 and has shattered multiple box office benchmarks for musicals. It eclipsed the worldwide opening of “Les Misérables” (2012), the previous record-holder, by approximately $60 million.
She will be recognized on Jan. 4 alongside Creative Impact in Directing Award recipient Jacques Audiard and Legend & Groundbreaker Award recipient Jennifer Lopez, as well as Variety’s annual class of 10 Directors to Watch, which this year includes names such as Malcolm Washington (“The Piano Lesson”) and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”).
The award will be presented by Erivo’s co-star, Ariana Grande, according to organizers. The Creative Impact in Acting Award announcement follows Wednesday’s news that Grande would the Rising Star Award during the festival’s ceremony on Jan. 3.
“In less than a decade, Cynthia Erivo has moved from Tony Award- winning actress (for `The Color Purple`) to Oscar-nominated actress (for `Harriet’) and now finds herself at the heart of the 2024 awards season. Her role as Elphaba in `Wicked’ is already racking up major awards,” Steven Gaydos, Variety’s executive vice president of content, said in a statement “Erivo has taken on an iconic role and powerfully transformed it into a creative statement that is resonating with audiences and critics all over the world.”
Erivo is no stranger to the film awards conversation, having been previously nominated for a pair of Academy Awards for her lead role and performance of the song “Stand Up” in the 2019 movie “Harriet.” At PSIFF 2020, she was presented with the Breakthrough Performance Award for the same film.
In addition to the aforementioned Tony win for “The Color Purple,” Erivo also received Grammy and Emmy awards over the course of the production (for Best Musical Theater Album and Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, respectively). The actress is one Oscar win away from achieving an EGOT, the grand slam of entertainment awards.
Her career began with roles in British television programs and West End musicals, prior to her first film roles in two 2018 films, “Widows” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.” She has also appeared in “Drift” and “Luther: The Fallen Sun.” “Wicked Part Two” is expected to be released in 2025.
After Variety’s ceremony on PSIFF 2025’s third day, the film festival will continue through Jan. 13.
