What did Cynthia Erivo say about portraying Jesus Christ? Star reflects on the responsibility behind her Hollywood Bowl role

Cynthia Erivo hopes that her role as “Jesus” in the Jesus Christ Superstar musical at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2025 moved people. The Wicked actress revealed during the November 21, 2025, episode of The View that the role “meant the world” to her.

The actress faced backlash for her acting role as Jesus Christ, with some calling her performance “demonic.”

Erivo revealed that she was shocked to learn she had been selected to portray Jesus. She said:

"It meant the world to me. It scared me when I knew I was going to play [Jesus Christ]." 

She recalls telling her manager:

"That scares me. Give me a second. I'm going to call you back," she recalled telling her team. "Just because I had to think about it, and I knew it would be a challenge, but I also knew that it would help us grow to see my face, me, in a role like that. It challenged me as a person and as an actress to grow into a part that felt that big, that special. Hopefully, it moved a lot of people."

Erivo played the controversial role alongside Adam Lambert, who portrayed the character Judas.

“You can’t please everyone” - Cynthia Erivo reacted to heavy criticism on her lead role in the Jesus Christ Superstar musical 

The Jesus Christ Superstar musical was shown at the Hollywood Bowl from August 1 to 3, 2025. The musical created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice follows the final days of Jesus Christ, leading up to his crucifixion, as narrated from the perspective of his betrayer, Judas Iscariot.

After Cynthia’s role in the musical was announced, some conservatives didn’t hold back their outrage about it.

A Christian radio host, Christopher Calvin Reid, said that the musical was "a vile assault on Christian doctrine." He added: "The Bible is unequivocal: ‘The Word became flesh’ (John 1:14), incarnate as a man. Erivo’s casting isn’t just unbiblical — it’s a deliberate desecration."

Erivo replied to the negativity surrounding her role announcement in an interview with Billboard, saying:

“Why not? You can’t please everyone. It is legitimately a three-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl where I get to sing my face off. So hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.’”

Erivo had previously played Mary Magdalene in the all-female version of the musical. 

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