Cynthia Erivo Questions Jon M. Chu's Oscars Snub After 'Wicked' Got 10 Nods
Cynthia Erivo questioned why Jon M. Chu didn't earn a Best Director nod for 'Wicked' after the film was up for 10 awards.
A Wicked Snub
"I wish people understood just how much work has to go into creating a big, giant behemoth like Wicked,â Erivo said. âNone of that can happen without his vision. It just isnât possible"
Cynthia Erivo thinks Wickedâs Jon M. Chu deserved a Best Director nomination at the Oscars. In an interview with Variety Friday, the actress, who earned a nod for Best Actress for her role as Elphaba in the film, said she was puzzled that Chu didnât earn a nod for the film.
âI wish people understood just how much work has to go into creating a big, giant behemoth like Wicked,â Erivo said. âNone of that can happen without his vision. It just isnât possible.â
âHe is the who can see who is right for this, who cast us in these roles, who asked for nine million tulips, who says he wants to build a real set so it feels embedded in reality,â she added. âThere is a kind of vision that you have to have in order to be in control of something that could run away from you very quickly if you donât know what to do.â
Wicked earned 10 nominations at this yearâs Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Production Design. Along with Erivoâs Best Actress nod, Ariana Grande is up for Best Supporting Actress.
In her interview, Erivo, said âwe have another film coming and he made two films at the same time,â referring to Wicked sequel Wicked: For Good.
âI think he is an exquisite director,â she said. âThe people that he put in charge of every department, that also takes skill.â
Grande previously spoke to Variety about Chuâs snub, calling him âincredibly brilliant.â
âAll of the other nominations stem from Jon. I know he feels like seeing Wicked be celebrated is a celebration of him as well,â she told the outlet. âWe just got off Facetime, and I told him how much I love him, and the truth, which is that absolutely none of this could have happened without his leadership, brilliance, empathy and thoughtfulness.â