Cynthia Erivo

A vessel that what you see is really me and I can change into the character in front of your very eyes.

And so what I would do is, after I left drama school, I cut my hair.

I went to get a haircut.

And the hairdresser was very, very scared to cut it because my hair was quite long.

It came down past my shoulders.

And you know, our hair means so much to us.

It does.

It meant a lot to my mum.

My mum was very surprised.

I don't think I even told her before I cut my hair.

And when I came back, she was really very surprised and sort of...

You cut your hair.

What's going on?

Also, traditionally, when we cut our hair, one, it's for heat if you're African, and often you cut your hair if you lose someone.

So there's an understanding of sort of loss.

You know, the old adage, when a woman cuts her hair or changes her hairstyle, a life shift has happened.

That is very true of the Nigerian tradition.

And so for me...

I felt like I went for my own life shift.

I just sort of thought having had it happen right after drama school, it felt like it was sort of leaving something behind and taking from it what I needed and letting go of whatever else I didn't.