Cynthia Erivo: ‘It’s Not Enough That I’m the Only One’

Reported today on The New York Times

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Cynthia Erivo: 'It's Not Enough That I'm the Only One' The star of "Harriet" was the sole black actor nominated for an Oscar this year. Now one step away from an EGOT, she's also up for best song and plans to perform it at the ceremony if asked. It's not common for actors to snag three major awards for a single performance, but Cynthia Erivo did just that in 2015 for her role as Celie in the Broadway revival of "The Color Purple," earning her a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy and putting her just one step away from the coveted EGOT club - the rare group of performers who have all those awards plus an Oscar.Now, the actress, singer and songwriter could join the club: on Monday she was nominated for two Academy Awards, for best actress and best song, for the biopic "Harriet." Those are the first Oscar nominations for the 33-year-old star, who has become known for her powerful soprano and swift Hollywood breakthrough.If she does take home an Oscar, she will be the youngest person ever to become an EGOT winner and in the least time: it will have taken less than five years.Reached by phone after flying 12 hours to Japan, where she was scheduled to give concerts, Erivo described the news as crazy, mad. "The whole thing is loopy," she said. But she was also mindful that she was the sole black star nominated for an acting Oscar this year. "It's not enough that I'm the only one. It just isn't," she said, noting that "far too much work was done this year by incredible women and men of color that should be celebrated."The nominations came less than a week after the British academy BAFTA put forward an all-white list of acting nominees. That organization invited Erivo to perform "Stand Up," her empowering "Harriet" ballad, but she told "Extra" that she had turned down the invitation

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