Cynthia Erivo Joins Her Old School’s Girls’ Choir for a Heartfelt “Wicked” Surprise Performance

NEED TO KNOW

• Cynthia Erivo visited her old school in London with BBC Radio 1 this week to surprise choir students

• Erivo sang a duet of “For Good” with them, from the Wicked movie

• Erivo is currently on a press tour for Wicked: For Good, which hits theaters on Nov. 21

Cynthia Erivo is back at school!

The Wicked: For Good actress, 38, returned to her old stomping grounds with BBC Radio 1 this week to surprise current students at a choir practice.

Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the movie-musical adaptation, got her start on stage at La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School in Clapham Park, London two decades ago. Now, taking a break from her busy schedule during the film’s press tour, Erivo revisits her roots in a YouTube video posted on Nov. 18.

“By the way, they have no idea you’re here,” BBC Radio 1 host Greg James tells the Tony Award winner before they enter the rehearsal room.

James walks in first, telling a group of young singers that they are going to sing “For Good,” which they had been practicing, for a video to be sent to Erivo. In reality, she is listening through the door.

While they are singing, Erivo enters the rehearsal and the girls immediately erupt in screams of excitement. After addressing the room, she sits down for an emotional listening of the choir.

“I went to this school and left over 20 years ago, so to come back and listen to you singing that song is really wonderful,” Erivo says in the video. “Well done, everyone. It’s so nice to see you all and be back here.”

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Cynthia Erivo at the ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere on Nov. 17 in New York City

Evidently moved by the touching performance from the next generation of young talents, the three-time Oscar nominee tells the students she is “not okay at all” in a breaking voice.

She then goes on to answer students’ questions, sharing meaningful moments in her life and advice how to pursue a career in entertainment.

“I was right where you were, literally, and I had some really wonderful teachers, who helped and guided,” she tells the students. “You start to figure out what you want, and don’t be afraid to ask for those things. Don’t be afraid of dreaming of those things, and then don’t be afraid of the hard work that comes — because it will.”

Earlier in the video, James takes Erivo down memory lane, showing her photos snapped of her during various school productions. He tells her they are “proudly” displayed in the school’s corridors.

He shows a nostalgic Erivo photos of her in My Fair Lady, which Erivo estimates she was 14 years old in, as well as a clip from her leading role in Guys and Dolls.

“She showed talent from a young age and her mannerisms haven’t changed since she was a little girl,” Ruth Coyle, the school’s Director of Admissions, Careers and Technical Education, told HELLO! in January.

Coyle also shared that Erivo’s time at the school is captured in an album put together about notable alumni called The Legacy Book.

“She’s such a fantastic role model for the students here because they can see that anything’s possible,” Coyle said. “I love seeing that she did all her own stunts, so while she was flying in the air, she was singing — it just shows you can achieve whatever you want.”

Wicked: For Good is in theaters Friday.

Read the original article on People