VIDEO: Cynthia Erivo On Difficult Moments Playing A Refugee In ‘Drift’ At Sundance Premiere

Cynthia Erivo talked to uInterview about her most memorable moment while shooting the film Drift, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Sunday.

Erivo plays Jacqueline, a war refugee who seeks to make a new life on a Greek island. A member of a wealthy Liberian family, Jacqueline now finds herself stealing food and squatting in caves to survive while still dealing with the trauma of her past after being forced to flee her homeland. Jacqueline decides to take a chance and form a friendship with Callie (Alia Shawkat), an American tour guide.

Erivo revealed an intimate moment she shared with co-star Shawkat on set.

“There’s a scene that we film in the abandoned hotel while we were shooting it there was a moment of quiet where we sat outside, me and Alia [Shawkat] with our backs to everyone, just looking out at the horizon and I don’t know that anyone knew we were out there. It was just the two of us,” Erivo said. “And I don’t know why it keeps playing in my head, but it was one of those moments that felt really special.”

Erivo continued, “We didn’t say anything to each other we kind of understood what both of us needed in that moment. That was behind the scenes. In front of the camera, there’s the scene in the bathroom that we shot that was tough and heartbreaking and I don’t think I’ll ever forget doing that. I felt really vulnerable, but it was really important that we did that.”