Cynthia Erivo

“A woman of color was one of the first women to lead an armed raid and was a general in the army.”

CYNTHIA ERIVO, THE TONY, EMMY AND GRAMMY-AWARD WINNING ARTIST, says the Oscar buzz around her most is “very overwhelming” and she “genuinely didn’t expect it.” Already nominated for two Golden Globes for the role, Erivo breathes life into the often mysterious public image of the famous abolitionist and unofficial leader of the Underground Railroad. Erivo says she hopes people learn more about the life lived before and after the period for which Harriet (born Araminta Ross, Erivo’s Tubman takes her mother’s name—Harriet—in the film after running to freedom) was famous. In order to tap into Tubman’s soul, Erivo used a skill she knows a thing or two about: singing, a “powerful, powerful” tool to tap into the spirit of Tubman, and ultimately into the film’s message of freedom. “I think we need to use this film to inspire us to do good things and see the strength we have in ourselves,” Erivo told . “We as people have agency and the ability to bring about really good change.”