Cynthia Erivo brings the “luxury” nail trend to Wicked.

[It's not often you walk into a bright green room sprinkled with disco balls to geek out about musicals and manicures. But at the launch of the Wicked x OPI Nail Polish Collection in New York, Cynthia Erivo kicked off the collaboration with a bijouxed nail manicure worthy of Elphaba, the iconic character she plays in the film adaptation.

“Right now, our base color tends to be green,” Erivo told me at the event, and her favorite shade in the collection, which launches October 1, is the glittery forest shade named after her iconic character, ” She added that it is Ozytiv Elphaba. As for the special manicure she wore to the launch event, she said: “[The nail artist] said she wanted something a little more fall-y and sexy. I like that vibe. I like to put jewelry on my nails. I like extravagant nails."

.

Elivo is the eternal nail girl (see here, here, and here), so when she was offered a role in a film where the costumes, hair, and makeup were practically the stars themselves, she saw her chance to be creative.

“I knew I wanted her to have micro braids and a full set,” Erivo said, adding that the choice was “a respect for my culture and a respect for the character.” The primary references came directly from Oz. There is the infamous shadow puppet of Margaret Hamilton, the original “Wicked Witch of the West,” she said, “and she does these nails.

Elivo wanted to continue that image in the prequel, almost like a manicure origin story. She says, “What we did was to create a nail that felt like it was not just a nail done for her, but one that actually came from her genes.”

As Elphaba continues to discover herself, her nails evolve as well. She explains, “There's a scene in the film where Elphaba gets a makeover, and that's where she gets her black and metallic green glittery nails.” This manicure evolution will continue in “Wicked,” Part 2, which will be released in 2025. In the second film, nails will be longer and more expressive.” We play with marbling, we play with ombre,” he says. It's fun and fantastic, but also symbolic. Says Starr, “It's the embodiment of the magic she has.”

Elivo has been working with Rose Huckle, aka @rosedoesmynails, for over five years, so there was no question who she would call to prepare for her career press tour. At Wicked, perhaps more than ever, Elivo's manicures are an integral piece of the aesthetic puzzle, and it's important to work with a nail artist she truly trusts.

“When I was first with her, it was like I was leading her in a certain direction, but now I think she knows me well enough to know what I like and what I don't like,” she explains.

According to Erivo, the two often storyboard their looks in advance, and we're bound to see a lot of gorgeous sets for the November 22 release. There are no limits to what we can do,” Elivo said. 'We can't do neon, except for neon.'

You won't find iridescent shades in the collection below, but you can get a mystical collection of 12 color-coded colors in Wicked. Click here to shop.