'Harriet Tubman was a superhero to me': Cynthia Erivo on portraying the famed abolitionist in the film Harriet

In the new movie Harriet, Grammy, Tony and Emmy award-winning actor Cynthia Erivo stars as Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist and activist. Hard as it may be to believe, Harriet marks the first time Tubman's story has been told in a feature-length film.

Erivo joined q's Tom Power in 2019 when the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to talk about her portrayal of Tubman as a tough, almost action hero-like figure.

"We don't see that of a lot of women of colour and it's real," said Erivo. "I think that for me to be the vessel in which that story is told is a huge honour."

Harriet hits theatres on Friday, Nov. 1. Erivo has also been cast to play the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in a new National Geographic TV series called Genius, which will be released next spring.

Download our podcast or click the 'Listen' link near the top of this page to hear the full conversation with Cynthia Erivo.

— Produced by Beza Seife