People Are Just Realising How Quickly Cynthia Erivo's Wicked Wig Was Made, And Wow

You may already know that Wicked’s 2024 movie adaptation used a lot of wigs in its production. 

“Everyone is fitted; everybody wore either a wig or a hairpiece,” the film’s lead makeup designer Frances Hannon told Glamour. 

That included “something like 17 wigs” including stand-ins and backups for Cynthia Erivo, who played Elphaba, Frances added. 

Her wigs, which included tiny, intricate microbraids, had a delicate mix of brown and black strands and referenced Elphaba’s braid from the original musical.

They even grew and changed throughout the movie, Frances says.

But according to the BBC, some of the intricate hairpieces were made on a tighter schedule than you might have thought.

In an interview with one of the women behind the wigs, Marie-Josée Mampuya-Yonda, the braider said: “I got the call, and I told my daughters, ‘Oh, by the way, we have to do a wig that’s going to be used for a film.’” 

But it was a tall (or long) order, because the BBC says the film’s production team needed the new ’do in just three days. 

“I was trembling,” the Seven Sisters Road business owner said. 

“I was scared, I was worried it wasn’t up to my strength. But I said, ‘I can do it.’” 

A peek at the braiding businesss’ “about” page shows this is far from their first high-profile assigmnent.

Josee’s Professional Braiding Studio has worked with ITV News and the cast of Jurassic World, and styled models for brands like Gucci and Burberry.