CBS’s Stephen Colbert praised actress Cynthia Erivo for playing the lead role of Jesus in the upcoming Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and called the casting “long overdue.”
“One of my favorite musicals of all time is Jesus Christ Superstar. And I’m so excited that, in August, you’re going to be playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl,” Colbert told Erivo during an interview on The Late Show last week.
“That’s right,” Erivo, who is set to star as Jesus in an upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar, responded, to which Colbert noted that the actress is the “first woman to play Jesus in a major production.”
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The television host and self-described Roman Catholic went on to claim that a woman playing the role of Jesus is “long overdue,” adding, “I’ve said for years, I’d love to see a woman in that part.”
“What does that mean to you?” Colbert asked, to which the Wicked star replied, “It just means a lot to me.”
Erivo went on to say, “I think the idea that I can play this role, and that I’ve been given the opportunity to play it in front of so many people at that place in this time of my life is a very special thing.”
“It’s the first time I’ve been on stage in that way for a long time, so to do it with this role is awesome,” the queer Bad Times at the El Royale actress added.
Earlier this month, Erivo mocked critics who accused her and the musical of “blasphemy” over a female being cast as Jesus in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s upcoming rock opera.
“Hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth,'” the Harriet actress quipped to Billboard, dismissing the mockery of Jesus Christ and Christianity — a move the entertainment industry knows better than to make when it comes to other religions, such as Islam.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
