That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Cynthia Erivo

Episode Date: September 12, 2021

In this episode Gaby chats with actress and singer Cynthia Erivo. They chat about her work on stage in ‘The Colour Purple’, her Oscar nominated performance in the film ‘Harriet’, and her Emmy nominated performance in the series called ‘Genius’ in which she plays Aretha Franklin. She tells the most incredible story about when she actually met Aretha Franklin. Plus, her friendship with Michaela Coel who gave her her first speaking role in the show called ‘Chewing Gum’. She talks about her new children’s book called ‘Remember to Dream, Ebere’ out 28th September, her incredible album Ch.1 Vs. 1, out 17th September and starring as the Blue Fairy in Disney’s upcoming film ‘Pinocchio’. Do not miss her sensational singing right at the end of this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And welcome to season two of that Gabby Roslyn podcast back with more absolutely blooming fantastic guests. I have adored Cynthia Revo for years and have loved watching her career flourish. We chat about her incredible work on stage in the colour purple, her Oscar nominated performance in the film Harriet, and her phenomenal performance in the series called Genius in which she plays Aretha Franklin. And she tells us the most incredible story about when she actually met Aretha Franklin. Plus, her friendship with Michaela Cole, who gave her her first speaking role on television

in the show Chewing Gum. We talk about her debut children's book called Remember to Dream Ebering, which is out on the 28th of September. Her incredible album, Chapter 1, Verse 1, is out on the 17th of September, and it's unbelievably beautiful, and her starring in the upcoming 3rd,

film Pinocchio. Trust me when I say, listen right to the end, because I promise you goosebumps when she sings. Please, can I ask you a favour? Would you mind, please, following and subscribing, please, by pressing the follow or subscribe buttons, please. This is completely and utterly free, by the way. And then you can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts, which is the purple app on your iPhone or iPad. Simply scroll down to the bottom of all of the episodes and you'll see the stars where you can tap and rate and also please write a review. Thank you so much. How many places was that? Probably too many. But please, thank you. Hi-ya. I'll be talking to you again. Hi. Do you know, I just worked out as I was going through everything. So the first time you made me

cry, we will explain this to everybody, was eight years ago. Oh my goodness. Because you were doing, oh my word, you were doing the colour purple. Should we tell everybody how we know each other? Go on. So, there was a concert for an HIV and AIDS charity in Common Garden and you sung. Yes. And you sung live and I made you do it again. Yes. At the concert. And then you made me cry and I said, Like tomorrow I do a live radio show. Will you come into the show? And you went, yeah, yeah. And I came in, yeah.

And did I ask, did I do like a Christmas song or something? Yeah, you did. You did silent night. Yeah, yeah. That sounds about right. Yeah. And we called your mom. Oh, yes, we did.

How is she? She's good. She's good. You know, she walks every single day and her minimum is 10,000 steps a day. And she loves it. So she does it every day. and I always get like an update of how much she's been walking and it's really cool.

I'm just really proud of her for like taking, you know, the initiative to just keep moving and keep going. And she walks all across London and finds sights and, you know, gets out. And she's just, you know, now she's retired. She's just taking like life by the horns and taking care of herself. It's really cool. Will you send her my love, please? Because she was a nurse, wasn't she?

Yes, yes, she was a health visitor. Oh, bless her. She was so lovely. We called her up live on air. And she got so, she was so excited to be hearing you sing live. And then, okay, go forward eight years. I can't imagine her excitement for what's happened to you in those eight. I mean, it is incredible.

It's really weird. There are certain times. So I've been doing my job for 35 years. And in the 35 years, there are certain things that stick out. And you are one of them. And that's why we've kept in touch. But I remember looking at you straight in the eye and saying, you have no idea what a huge star you're going to be.

And you were so humble and so sweet and so lovely. And you just went, oh, thank you. Thank you. Well, I decided it's all thanks to me saying that, that this is what's happening. You know what? It's so strange because every day there's like a moment where I'm like, oh my goodness, this is my life. This is what's happening.

because some of it was, yes, part of like a dream and some of it I didn't see coming at all. And so I'm sort of always grateful, always thankful, and always open to whatever else might come. And hopefully I get to, I think the thing now is also being able to help other people. But you've always been like that. See their dreams. Yeah.

It's just because I don't really know how else to be. You know, I mean, I think that I've been lucky enough to have some wonderful people in my life who've been there, who've encouraged me, who've helped. And so I feel like I'm indebted to those people and the duty is to pass that along, you know? That's exactly what was so magical and that's what made me cry when I first heard you sing. And I will clear up. It was because you sung live and that's why I'm asked you to repeat it straight there again, which I've never done. before or since. And it was because you, you felt those words you were singing. You, you connected to the audience, but you cared. And in everything you've done since, you just, you care. And I'm not

trying to blow smoke up your bum. I really am not. You really care. Yeah. No, I do. And I'm really specific about the things I choose to sing. I'm really specific about where and how, because, you know, you only have one moment to connect with people. So if you get on stage and you don't care and you don't like what you're singing, you don't mean what you're singing, then you've wasted an opportunity to connect with people that you otherwise wouldn't have been able to meet or have conversation with. And so, yeah, I care very much so. No, with the colour purple, I mean, it went from the Murnier here in London over to Broadway. and then you won all the awards and everything.

And but was that the moment that life changed? Yeah. Oh my goodness, yes. My life changed the moment I touched the Broadway stage. It was so crazy because I was really just happy to do the menet, the play at the menier. I really fought for that, but that was like my thing. I fought really hard for it. I had my agent bothering everybody,

the casting director, artistic director, like bothering everybody at that time. And for a minute, they wouldn't see me. And then a friend of my Jason Pennycook, then seemed, I think he knew that the artistic director and said, hey, there's this girl, you should see her. She might be great for this part. And I went in and I did my job. And I just, I really wanted to do that show at the Mayo Chocolate Factory.

I didn't know what would come afterwards. And then when we hit the Broadway stage, my life just changed. I went from that straight into a film. It was crazy. But also, did, so all sorts of incredible people came to see you on stage, didn't they?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All sorts. It was crazy. Name drop, because it is amazing. So we, well,

Miss Aretha Franklin came to see the show. Yes, that's what I was hoping you were going to say. Yes. Aretha came, Sisley Tyson came to the show. Who was, I think, who came to see the show at one point. Yes, she did.

Fantasia Barino came to see the show. Steven Spielberg came to see the show. Oh my God. It was nuts. It was crazy. It was really crazy. There were a lot of people that came to do the show. And I was always surprised because I told them never to tell me if anyone was in the house

just because I didn't want anyone to be there. Like, I didn't want to know because it would make me nervous. So I'd rather just do it for the house. And if someone happened to be there, wonderful. If not, okay, I could just keep moving. So it was just a trip, an absolute trip. So to have Aretha Franklin, obviously we're going to go to Aretha and you playing her. We'll talk about that later on.

But having Aretha come and see you and then you playing her, I mean, that just must blow your mind. I mean, it wasn't extraordinary to meet her. It was because she was also really, like, jovial and funny. And she made a joke when I came to the room and she sang like a line of my song back at me, which was wild. Because there's Aretha Franklin singing the last line of the song, I'm here back at me and telling me I can sing. And it was just amazing. And then, you know, it was that sort of short meeting. I took a picture and I looked crazy in it because I had just come on stage and I was so like, oh my goodness, what's happening.

And then I saw her again at the Kennedy Center Honors. and she was in the audience singing and I didn't realize, and I tell the story just because it blows my mind, when they panned to the audience and paned to her, she was singing along with her eyes closed, you know, sort of in the music. And I'm singing, and here's the thing,

Ms. Aretha Franklin does not need to sit through anybody singing if she does not want to. And the idea that she was sitting through me singing and singing along was awesome. I actually later realized that she also had done a version of The Impossible Dream. So it was just really cool to sort of like, it feels like a full circle to be able to, you know, tell her story as well. It's a huge honour to be able to tell, be a part of her storytelling.

And what's so incredible is that from the colour purple and she came to stage and then all those years later doing the show and what happened in between as well. So tell me if this is not your quote, because I picked this out of all the stuff I was reading. And it said, and this is your quote apparently, the biggest dream is never too big. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Biggest dream is never too big. I love that.

Yeah. Because I think sometimes we are scared of dreaming big. And I know that sounds like the most cliche phrase, but it's a true thing. We're afraid of having big aspirations and big thoughts because they might not come true, but I think that it's stopping ourselves from doing that that allows us to not see it. And when you can see something, when you can see it in your head really clearly,

then it has to be possible. It's definitely possible with hard work so long as it's not harming anyone and it's not harming you. If it's a dream that you want to see come true, then dream it, see all the detail in it, see all the things that you want about it and make it happen. I think there's always a way to make your dream come true. Yeah, always. I want to go to Harriet because, so you got the nominations, you got the Oscar, and then that song stand up, which we were playing while we were waiting for you to come online.

We were all listening to it. And your new album, and your new songs, The Good and the Live. We were listening to all three while we were waiting for you. But that Harriet, just what a story. why did it take so long for that to come to on to film? Why do we all still know so little of her until we see that film? I mean, I find that incredible. But it's as if you were born to play her.

I mean, it was, you were phenomenal. Thank you very much. It's really kind. I don't know why it's taking so long. I think that I think for a long time, historical figures, black historical figures have sort of been a little bit of race from history, even though they've done so much.

Specifically, Harriet, who really is a part of the threat of history. She has a huge legacy behind her that doesn't just consist of, and I say just, as if it's a small thing, but it is not, doesn't just consist of saving the lives of people who are enslaved. She was a part of the Union Army. she was a part of the suffrage movement. She was a part of women's rights. She's like, and then continued on to create a home where people could stay when they were displaced.

She lived into her 90s, which is very, very rare for someone who was born in the 1800s. But she lived until she was 91 years old. And so her life was colorful and fruitful and definitely is a tale that should have been told along time ago. It's just sometimes these stories aren't given the importance that they deserve. I'm hoping that the film I did only sort of opens the doors to tell more of her story because there's about, from where we left off, there's about a good 40 odd years to talk about after that. And it's an important 40 years because she did quite a bit of work in that time. And I hope that more stories like that get told, you know, because often, unfortunately,

black people and people of colour are not the ones writing in the history books. They're not the ones giving the facts. They aren't and they aren't the ones being asked for facts or asked for the stories, asked for those tales. And so they get missed altogether. You see what we're saying? And I think that once access is given to, to, to, all of us who have the stories from our specific history that we can start learning about all

people's histories, you know? Yes. And I think that's the thing that's the most important thing. What you want them to do is not make another film for at least 10 years and then you do the next one. No. Yes. I don't know.

Yes. I would like to see, no, I don't want to wait 10 years for that. No, no, I mean 10 years for her life, more of her life. That's what I mean. 10 years more of her life. Well, yeah. I mean, I think there is someone out there who can tell the next 10 years of her life. That's what I think.

You're sharing it. Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's important. Yeah, man. I think the more points of view of the story that we can have, the more, I don't know, full it becomes, you know? I completely agree with you. And I find it so shocking that it wasn't told before.

But, I mean, it was incredible. also that song, stand up, it gets me so deep inside my soul, I can't explain when I start hearing it. Music does that and music does that to you, doesn't it? Yes, it does. Very much so, yeah. Yeah, it's very much like a, I say it's the second language, but I think it's on par with my first language. It's just, I feel like music is a really special way to communicate with people who might not otherwise understand you. Like, I know that someone in Brazil or someone in Germany

or someone in South Africa is singing their song. And for some reason, they all understand the meaning of it. They all understand the importance of it. And that is the importance of music. For me, it really is a communication tool. It's a storytelling tool. It's something that allows me to access the hearts and minds of other people who otherwise might not understand who I am and we might not understand each other, but for that music. I think it's a special thing.

And I've never taken it for granted. I never will. It's a very, for me, it's a really precious tool for myself to just use and speak and communicate and tell stories. And your voice, your voice is extraordinary. Did you sing Stand Up at the Hollywood? I mean, excuse me, the Hollywood Bowl. I'm just going to say it again. You played the Hollywood Bowl.

I did, yeah. I didn't sing stand up though. I didn't. I sang a couple of my other songs. And I have to say that that concert was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had in my entire life. Tell me everything about it. Tell me everything.

It just was amazing. I grabbed the head. grabbed the help of an incredible musical director, Ricky Minor, who came aboard, helped me orchestrate the thing, helped me grab the band that I needed, the backing vocalist that I needed, the music that I needed. I got the help of an incredible florist, or he essentially creates installations using flowers.

And his name's Maurice. He runs a company called Blumen Plume, and he's wonderful. And so he creates. like a little stage for me. So there's the big Hollywood ball stage, and then on that stage, she created a little podium that had Moroccan rugs and wild flowers all around it. Baby's breath, like an arch behind me.

And it was just amazing. My stylist found these incredible pieces. One was by Alexander McQueen, the other was by Ashi Studios, and they were both florals. And it all just sort of worked, and it was was beautiful. And if you imagine that the Hollywood Bowl is one, yes, an iconic place, but it's beautiful because it's outdoors and it's at night and the air was really warm. So it felt really good. And I just had the most amazing time. You have the LA Philharmonic behind me who's playing wonderfully.

And Thomas Wilkins, who's an incredible conductor who just understands music implicitly. And it just, it just was wonderful. It just was wonderful. I felt so completely connected and so grounded and so present in it. That I just, it just was amazing. It was amazing. I mean, I can just, I sort of giving me chills, you talking about it, because Hollywood Bowl and there I was talking about the Oscars.

And these moments are, do you, you don't, like, you said, you feel very present, you feel very in the moment, even somewhere like the Oscars, even somewhere like Hollywood Bowl, you really do, you're, you're very grounded, aren't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I need to be. And if I find, you know, for example, if I find that I'm not, if I find that I'm not feeling as ground as I need to be, I will find something to do within that performance to ground myself. So when I was at the, when I, when I, when I, when I, was at the Hollywood Bowl, I felt my legs shaking underneath me

during one of the songs. And instead of just sort of like, working through it and standing through it and having my legs shake underneath me, I just sat on the floor. I like a knelt down and sang the song from there, which meant that I could be really connected. Wow.

And it, but it meant that, that I guess a humanity was communicated between me and the audience. And they felt more comfortable. I felt more comfortable. and I could sing the song I needed to until I felt strong enough to be on my feet again. So I did that.

And at the Oscars, there was a moment where I sort of, I was standing with my legs together, so feet together. And it felt like I was going to topple over. So I just stood shoulder width apart. So like, which gave me like a really strong ground and I felt really, really powerful in that.

I just find the things I start in a grounded place and if I find myself drifting away from that I just find the thing that will pull me right back because that's that way I'm not concentrating on am I standing properly, my feet are shaking or I'm in the music and I'm communicating with people there and then that's what I try to do.

Your mum must have been, we're going back to your mum again but she must have been so insanely proud Yeah. She's, she's amazing. She definitely is very, very proud. She tells me every day. Oh, she's proud of me. Yeah. Even the little things, even like if I go for a run and like I went for a run today and I went, I did 10 miles. I'm really proud of me for going 10 miles. Well done. If I take, if I go, oh, today my feet were hurting and I decided to like take a break because well done for taking a break and listening to your body. So she's very sweet. See, that's why you're, that's, you know, it's learned stuff. You know, that's how, like you say, you really appreciate everything. So then let's go to now. We're going to go.

Actually, let's go to a re-third next. Because how extraordinary to then play somebody who you'd grown up listening to and that you'd met and that you were in awe of. And there you were. You really, you became her. She became, you became one with her. and I've seen, I've watched online many of the performances in it. And I mean, it's incredible.

It's not an impersonation. You have become her. Thank you very much for saying that. Yeah, I, because I knew that that impersonation wasn't going to be my way in. There are people who do that very, very well. And you cannot tell them from the person. I just knew that wasn't, that wasn't going to work for me. It wasn't going to be the tool that I needed to tell the story as truthfully as I could.

So I, I really, you know, concentrated on her sort of pace and rhythm and the way she sang and the choices that she would make within her music. And, you know, I know my voice and her voice are not the same. We have very different instruments. But I know that there are choices that she made that I wouldn't make. So I tried to make sure that I paid attention to those very specific choices,

those very specific breaths, those very specific riffs and trills and turns and pauses. And I had a great time learning her. Like she was like a master class, you know, and just learning her story and being as open to whatever the ether can give me as it possibly as it possibly could is what I was. I just wanted to make sure that I was available, wholly available to tell her story. How, when you're playing, I mean, you know, with Harrier and with Aretha, you know,

these people who existed in our world and were very important in our world and the words that they spoke were very important in our world, there must, you must feel quite a responsibility. Oh, yes. Yeah. And I'm glad you used that way because that's the word I use, that I feel a huge responsibility to try to tell the story as fully and as truthfully as I possibly can because it's their life in my hands. And I, you know, dead or alive, I want to try and make those people proud. In my head, I'm like, if they were to see this, would they, would this make them proud?

And hopefully that's the job I do. And so I do feel a huge responsibility to try and tell this story as fully and as truthfully as I possibly can. Yeah. What are the Emmy, so for Aretha, it's an Emmy nomination, and as I said,

you've won so many awards and you've been nominated for so many. How important are they? To me, it's sort of a half, 50-50. They're really important and they aren't. They're really important because they sort of are a celebration of the work that you do and the celebration of the work that other people do. And often they, they, you know, help bring your value up if we're being really practical.

But also, they aren't the reason you do a job. I'm never doing a job to get a nomination. The nomination is a cherry on top. I'm always doing a job because, I want to tell this particular story and I want to meet this person I get to play. That has to be the reason. So when I say they're not important, I mean that that can't be the reason you do a job. That can't be the reason you play a character. It can't be the reason you do a project, because that's not as fulfilling as doing the job or playing the character to tell the story or because you like this character or because

you don't like this character, because the character intrigues you, or because this character feels important to you, or because, and for me, one of my favorite things is, if I've never met this person before, would I want to have a conversation with them? And if the answer is yes, then I want to play them. Oh, wow. Okay. And that can be somebody you don't, you don't necessarily like, of course, because you want to ask questions of that person. Exactly, exactly. Do you say no to things? Yes. Because I know in the beginning, It must be in the beginning. You know, when you're, when you're starting out, you feel that you have to say yes and

you want to say yes because you're learning. But now are you able to say no? Yes. Yeah. But I've been saying no for a long time. Wow. I had to, because that takes practice. Yes.

And the first time you do it is really scary. Yeah, it's really scary the first time you do. Really, really scary. And you sort of go, what if me saying no means I won't get another chance? You will. You will. Every time you say no, it just makes room for a yes. So it's okay to say no.

If you really in your heart, in your gut, think this isn't right, don't do it. Because all that will happen is if you do go and do this job, you will spend the entire time thinking, I don't want to do this. Why did I say yes to this? And that's a worse feeling than saying no. So I know that you've done a kid's book. We're going to talk about that. Yes. But your first children's book.

But why aren't you doing? And I don't want to use the word self-help, okay, because I think that has a derogatory term. But what you put on your socials, and because I know you, and we have mutual friends, we've sat in a pub garden at friends' birthdays, you have this extraordinary, you've got a wiseness beyond your years. You are, I'm sitting here nodding to everything you're saying. You make me feel very emotional. and it's not just eight years ago when I first met you.

It's not just at our friends party. You have an extraordinary power. And I'm power for good. Really for good. And there's another book there. Surely you're going to be doing a book. And I know you've got your album and the words of the songs are very powerful. But you can really help people, you know.

You could really passionately help people. You can make people feel good about their lives and you can make young black women realize that it can happen for them. And anybody, you have this extraordinary power. I can't, and I mean power in the right way. I don't mean, you know, I'm handing over power and you're going to take it and run with it. That's not what I mean.

You're an extraordinary soul. And I know I say that to you every time I see you. But you're very wise and deep beyond your, years. Thank you. I mean, and you know what? I think at some point, because I do know that I want to write more, one, I know I want to write more children's books because I really enjoyed doing that process. And I do want to write books that are specifically for, for adults who are just like trying to find their space, their place. Yes. Yes. And I think it's just going to be a process. I think I'm going to, I want to take my time so I do it right.

you know, and there's no perfect way of doing it, but I want to make sure that when I finally sit down to do it, and I keep making notes, and when I finally sit down to do that book, I have the space and the brain space as well to commit to it in the way I want to. And I think I'm just going to set myself up in a way, maybe by the end of the year,

I'll create, like, sections of time that are just dedicated to writing something. And at first I think I'm just going to write and see what happens. And then I can collate after that. But thank you for saying that. And I think that actually helps me really sort of clarify what another sort of step in my life can be. Because I really do want to help people. I really do want to do good, you know.

All of this can't just be for being in front of people. It really is for trying to help people as well. Yeah. Because you're so outspoken and you say what you think, but for all the right reasons, I'm going to applaud you forever, I really am. Okay, let's go to the children's book then. So this is, now it's Remember to Dream. Yeah, remember to dream, Eberra. Aberra is my sister's middle name. Yeah. So tell us, so it is the same thing as the quote that we started with. The biggest dream is never too big. Yeah. And it's sort of like, I was asked to write a kid's book a really long time ago.

maybe like, I want to say three, four years ago. And at first, I said no. Because, and you know me by now, I didn't, I didn't want to do it if I wasn't doing it myself. I didn't want to do a book if I wasn't actually writing the book. I didn't want to put down someone else's words. I didn't want someone else to ghost write it for me and then I just put my name on it. I really, if I was going to do it, I was going to do it fully. So I said no for a little bit.

And then one day I had put it down, left it alone, didn't think about it at all. And one day I was getting ready. I was in LA. It was doing meetings and whatnot. And I think I was getting ready to leave the house. And as I was getting ready, I was in the shower. It sort of dropped in like a lightning bolt. Just the idea came fully formed into my brain.

And I got ready, like ran out the shower, put a towel on, sat down on my bed and grabbed my iPad and my iPad pen and just wrote the book, like wrote the paper. of the book. What? You're kidding me. Yeah. Oh, I, I kid you not. And if you, like, I have, I have the pages in my iPad to this day. Um, because I still, in a way, I'm like a traditionist when it comes to actually writing. And when it comes to writing the book, hopefully I'll, I'll come, get out of that habit and type. But I really do write everything. So all, like, the songs I wrote were written by hand. I write each song by hand because my brain is faster than my, my hand.

So writing it down means I don't have to take too long. So I wrote this story and I just sort of knew that it was about dreaming and dreaming in detail because I realized that it was something I was doing all the time. And I thought, well, it doesn't make sense if I should share this. and I wanted to share it with children. And so I wrote this story down. And as we were going through the process, we found the illustrator,

the first illustrator that came on wasn't quite right. The illustration wasn't the way I wanted it. And so I went back in and said, hey, we need to find another illustrator. I need to find different examples. And Chanel Pinky Barnett came on, and she was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted

because I wanted the book to feel like a gift. I wanted it to feel like, something that you could keep forever. So even if you, when you have the book, the front cover is one cover. When you open the book, the cover underneath is something else, but it also feels like a gift. The title is on both covers. So if you lose the paper cover, the cover underneath the hard cover still has the title. So you still have that there. Within the book, there's an author's note that I wrote for anybody reading the book, not just for children. And it is really just to remind people that they're special, that their dreams are valid and that they should keep dreaming. And anytime

they feel small, feel like they're not confident, that this book is the thing that they can come back to to remind themselves that they're more than that. You're going to make me cry again. and you do know that. From that book, then, you also have your debut album. And you've, you know, as I said, while we were waiting for you, we were listening to The Good and we were listening to Alive. Incredible. Again, it's words.

And they, from the very, from the very first note, you do that. I do sound like some mad, crazy superfan, but it gets into your soul. Again, the words, you just know. know what you want to say. I don't want to waste words, that's why. So nothing is wasted. Nothing, every time I put pen to paper, it's an opportunity to speak to someone,

speak to something that I've experienced, share something that I've experienced. Nothing is ever wasted on purpose. So I guess, yeah, I do, and also I love being able to use words this way, like putting them to song and putting them to melody and creating little books. And I guess it's like my weapon of choice

in the best possible way, you know? So that's, I guess, why I have a way with them because they're mine. And, you know, they're people, I consider myself a writer, but I don't consider myself someone who can write film and TV. That would be your next thing. I don't know that I will.

I don't think that's my portion. And I'm very okay with letting someone else do that. I'm good with sitting down and helping with an idea. I'm good with prose, but I don't know that I'm good with script. So it's just something that I've always enjoyed, even when I was younger, one of my favorite lessons was English, sitting down. And it was English literature that I really loved, storytelling, writing stories, reading stories, explaining stories, breaking stories down and telling people, getting people to understand the meaning of them. That's just something I've always loved doing. And so the fact that I get to do it for my life is kind of awesome.

Yeah. So this is released. So your album, Chapter 1 versus 1, it's released the 17th of September. Yeah. And as I said, extraordinary words there. And you've worked with people who also, I mean, you and Michaela Cole, I'm got, I told you I was going to go all over the place, but going back to chewing gum. And that was some years ago.

But she's another person who writes, and the way she's. she writes is extraordinary. She goes, it gets straight to you, straight to where she wants you to feel it. And that must have been amazing to work with her. Oh my God. Michaela, we just did an interview a while ago together. And that was, as you can imagine, emotional. Because we've known each other we discovered for 15 years.

Oh, my word. Yeah, for 15 years we've known each other. She was the first person to give me a speaking role on TV in chewing gum. and that was one of the most amazing things because she trusted me and small or big, the role, it felt like someone finally was like, you belong here, you're allowed to be here,

come and do this with me, and it just meant everything. And the fact that we've sort of, our relationship has grown. We, in its sort of like a flourishing space right now and the idea that both of us are nominated in the same category, together, the same year, for the end is kind of incredible.

And both of us, when we were nominated, she was in the forest somewhere filming something and I was in New York somewhere so we kept trying to contact each other. She was like, I'm in the forest, I can't get to you. I'm trying to, there's no signal where I am. But we finally managed to just like look at each other and go, bang, look at where we are.

Look at what we've done. I'm very, very proud, very pleased, very lucky to have her in my life. and I hope we have many more years ahead of us because she's just incredible and I hope we get to work together again. Oh, you must. I hope we get to get together.

I think the both of us are sort of like hoping that we can figure out something together again because I think that would be really fun. Oh my goodness, yes, yes, yes, yes, do it. And also widows, there you were in widows, you were brilliant in that. I loved you in that. Thank you.

I do sound like a superfan. Actually, we might have to take some of these out because it really does sound like a super fan. But again, working with a brilliant writer and brilliant director, brilliant other artists in that. You know, incredible people to be around. That felt like a masterclass and a lesson doing that film.

Because if you imagine, that was my first film. That was your first film? It was my very first film. It was the first film I did. Yeah, first film. Super Queen is at the helm. You have Viola Davis there. Michelle Rodriguez.

You've got Connifers. It was like, it was just crazy. So I was the newbie on, on set. So I just was consistently paying attention, listening to everyone and paying attention to what people were doing and watching Viola when she was in her scenes and watching Michelle when they were in their scenes and just learning, really just learning.

Because that's what these opportunities are for. When you're on set with people like that, all you're doing is learning. It was the same when I was, I did a film called Bad Times at the El Rial. That was with Jeff Bridges, and all I did was no. I just was there. He was it, like it was us most of the time.

He was my scene partner. He was the person that I was spending most of my time with, which is wild and crazy, but he is incredible. And it was the most amazing thing to just share space with Jeff Bridges. Do you know what? I'm going to let you in, I just, I, he was my crush. Growing up, he was my crush. I don't blame you.

Oh, my God. Don't blame you. Oh, everything. I had him on my school. books. I do not blame you. He's one of the most, he's one of the most charismatic, sweet human beings I have ever met. He is wonderful. I'm blushing. This is hysterical because that's one of my, seriously, I remember being interviewed years and years and years ago when I first started out and they were saying, who's the person who's the most like to meet? And I said, oh, Jeff Bridges,

it's never happened. But I'm now that little bit closer because I know you and you've called, and that's what I was, I was saving this, you see. I was saving this for later on so I could really embarrass myself. I'm so pleased he was as gorgeous as, as I imagined. Oh my God, he's wonderful. He's wonderful. And the loveliest person, you know, he takes pictures on set all day. So he, and by the end of it, you have this book full of memories of the, of the time you spent there. It's really wonderful. Well, he makes the books out for you. He makes the books. Oh, Jeff. So I have a book full of pictures during the time we were on Bad Times of the RIA.

And our last, and like the last pages of the book are he and I, because the last day was pretty much me and him. That's it. The last scene of the film is he and I. There is a, you can hear, I have turned into that teenager who's just like, You're talking about it. It's very funny. How you can always go back to those teenage years.

And then the next thing you're doing, now have you filmed this already? Have you filmed Pinocchio already? We filmed it, yeah. Oh, you filmed it. How was that? It was so cool. It was so magical.

It's so crazy because a lot of it is blue screen, but you're like, that doesn't take away from how magical it is. Like, I was a blue fairy and I was flying. And I had a wand, and I was singing when you wish upon a star. It just was like so awesome. It was so awesome to. to be that, to do that. I, yeah, it was a dream come true.

Please, well, okay, you're going to hate me, you're going to hate me, but you know I always make you sing a little bit. Please, because are you just, just something, even when you wish upon a star, something or a bit of your album, will you just do a little bit? Just a weenie, weenny little bit of singing. Okay, let me see if I can, what do I want to do? Yes.

I'll do a little, there's a song called Glowing Up on that album that I can do for you. Let's see. Staring to see a picture of me, but it's too hard to look in my eyes. I know I'm ashamed of my find what I left behind, what I worked for so long to hide. But in the end, I know what's incredible

is the chance to change myself, because diamonds won't shine. Till they've been buried alive. But I've been in the rough tonight. And diamonds can't fall till they find light they can fall. The pressure gets tough

for just long enough tonight. You've done it again. Every time. You're amazing. That voice. Thank you. So are you. No, but that voice is just incredible.

Oh, my goodness me, Cynthia. Blimey. On this podcast, you actually, I've got two, that's really embarrassing. Especially the last bit that I want to ask you is we always ask everybody on this podcast what makes them properly belly laugh. Now, I have seen you lose it. It was at Gok's birthday, so there we go. And we were giggling about something strange that happened. But what makes you properly, properly belly laugh? It's not really even. like, obviously, it's the way people say certain things. It's a way people say things. So last night, I was watching RuPaul's drag race. And they, there's, but what's happening is that there's a game

within a game going on right now. And they've just discovered that. So it's like the final five who are like, they're in the final. And then all of a sudden this thing comes up and says, by the way, there's a game within a game and the advert goes and it's a, this is a swear word so I'm so sorry. That's all right. One of the one of the one of the one of the one of the one of the one of the one of the contest that goes oh really bitch and I just I don't know what it is about the way this person said it.

I just fell out laughing watching this person doing it. I think it's always the way people do things for me it's because it could be the simplest thing but it's just the way people say it that makes me laugh. episodes of New Girl make me laugh. There's an episode of, I think it's Thanksgiving. The character Schmidt says something about his Lasic eye. It's just ridiculous. The thing is ridiculous and that makes me laugh.

So I laugh about that, yeah. Perfect. And laughter is the best medicine, but I think so are you. Cynthia, you really are wonderful. Thank you so much for doing this. Congratulations on all that you've done and all you've got to come because it's just,

it's going to grow and grow. Thank you. So the 17th of September is the album. 28th of September is the kids' book. And then Pinocchio, when's Pinocchio opening? I have no idea. I don't know yet. But when I do know, I let you know.

I don't know yet. And also in between that as well, may you win every award. Not for any other reason that you deserve it. I know that's not why you do all of these things. But bless you. And thank you so much. And please say,

And your mum, my love. I will. I will. Thank you very much. Thank you. It means a lot. Bless you. Thank you so much for listening.

Next week, I promise you lots of laughs as I chat to the hilarious Josh Whittickham. That Gabby Roslyn podcast is proudly produced by Cameo Productions. Music by Beth McCari. Could you please tap the follow or subscribe button? And thanks so much for your amazing reviews. We honestly read every single one and they mean the world to us. Thank you so much. Yeah, yeah.