Cynthia Erivo felt like she was saying goodbye to a “really close friend” when she finished playing her Wicked character Elphaba.

The Widows actress “crumbled” and “cried for hours” after shooting her last scene as the green-skinned witch because she felt like she was saying “bye to really close friends”.

“The only time I felt similar was the last show for (Broadway musical) The Color Purple where you’re carrying something for a really long time. You’re happy to carry it; like it’s the best possible weight you can hold. I’m carrying it, it’s part of me. And when you hear it’s closed or (that’s a) wrap, it’s like someone takes the weight from you and puts it down,” she said on the Las Culturistas podcast. “I cried for hours after that. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling and the day after was so weird, I didn’t even know what to do with myself.”

Because she had spent hours in the hair and make-up trailer transforming into Elphaba for many months, the realisation truly sunk in when she took off her green make-up for the last time.

“I guess for Elphaba particularly because she’s such a transformation, because I do spend like three hours getting her together in the morning. You have to care to put her together and then she appears. It really was like, ‘I’m letting someone go. I’m never gonna see this person again,'” she explained.

Comparing the experience again to The Color Purple, she added, “Celie’s wonderful but she has my face. I didn’t have to really put her on… it’s like a wig and an outfit. Elphaba was a complete transformation, I disappeared when Elphaba came into the room.”

The British actress was also emotional at the end of the shoot because she had become close friends with her co-star Ariana Grande.

Wicked will be released in two parts, with the first hitting cinemas on 22 November.

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