Cynthia Erivo has opened up about her experience playing multiple characters in an episode of the crime comedy-drama series Poker Face, admitting that she felt “totally insane” during filming.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the Oscar-nominated actress revealed that she played five sisters in the episode, which is part of the show’s upcoming second season.
Erivo knew that taking on the challenge would be difficult, but she was eager to try something new. “I knew that my head would be split into many different spaces, but I was like, ‘Well, if not now, then when?'” she explained.
“I’m always open to trying things that I haven’t done before, and I wanted to do this. I wanted to figure out what it would be like to compartmentalize and play different characters all at once, to challenge myself to see if it was possible,” the actress added.
To help her get into character, the Wicked star used each sister’s costumes, wigs, and accents to determine their individual personalities. However, she still felt “crazy” at times, especially when she had to be her own scene partner.
“I’d play one side, and I’d have a lovely stand-in doing the other side,” Erivo said.
“I would still have to remember what I did on one side so that my reaction would match the other way, so that it would make sense when speaking to each other,” she continued. The episode was filmed while Erivo was in the middle of a busy press tour for the movie adaptation of Wicked, alongside Ariana Grande.
Erivo recalled the experience of filming the episode as “manic.” “We were in the midst of everything, doing everything, going everywhere,” she said. “I had 11 straight days of shooting this baby in New York…. To say I was mentally exhausted is an understatement.”
“I would get to the end of the day and not even really even know my own name. I’d be like, ‘I don’t know where I am,'” Erivo added.
Despite the challenges, Erivo looked back on the experience fondly. “It was absolutely manic,” she said. “But in the best possible way.”
Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne, follows the story of Charlie Cale, a woman with an uncanny ability to detect lies, who solves crimes while traveling the country.
The show’s second season premieres on Peacock on May 8.
