Cynthia Erivo

And also, I think both of us actually, Ari and I, both of us sort of made really specific decisions about how we looked, what we walked in, the clothes we were wearing, so that even the scents that we were wearing, because I always find a scent for each character that I play.

What do you mean by scent?

Perfume.

I always find a scent for each person.

But this time I found a scent for each Elphaba.

So Elphaba, who is young, wore a very different scent to Elphaba, who is older.

And so sense memory was a lot to do with how to sort of click back into where we are in time.

Can you slow down for a moment?

I started doing this years and years ago.

The first time I did it, I think I did it with Harriet, and hers was like cedarwood and lavender, I think it was, but like essence with a base oil, not a perfume, because I wanted it to feel like something she could find, that she could, you know, discover, make.

I wanted it to feel like it was off the earth.

Mm-hmm.

And then I realised how powerful it was for me.

And so I kept doing it with my characters.

So with Elphaba, I knew that they had to feel different.

So Elphaba, who's younger, I sort of messed around with like big florals, like really deep florals, so tuberose, rose, lilies.

And then I mixed it with...

It's like a tobacco-ood.

And sometimes I find a scent and it's not right and I go back and I go, and it's a real, something will say, this is the one.

Oh, this is so fascinating.