Cynthia Erivo Gives Advice on Dealing with Loneliness and Isolation at Sundance Premiere of Drift

Drift stars Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat and director/producer Anthony Chen came out on Sunday for the premiere of their film at the Sundance Film Festival at the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah. The film follows Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo), a young refugee who lands alone and penniless on a Greek island, where she tries first to survive and then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with a rootless tour guide (Alia Shawkat), and together they find the resilience to forge ahead. Erivo, excited to take on her next role as Elphaba in Wicked opposite Ariana Grande, chatted with us about her most recent work. We asked her for advice on handling the loneliness that her Drift character deals with and the feelings of isolation many feel today. 'Find the people around you who you might not even realize care and want to be there for you,' she said. 'Reach out and keep reaching out until you find a person who is willing to hear you and listen. That will help to ease the burden, ease the pain.'