Cynthia Erivo thought she lost a hat nearly a year ago, but a recent connection with a fan proved that nothing is ever really lost for good.
In a video posted to TikTok on Saturday, a fan named Clara shared a sweet interaction she had with the Wicked star in which she revealed that she found Erivo’s black hat from the London premiere of the film last November.
The video begins after Clara seemingly tells Erivo that she has the hat the actress left behind, to which a shellshocked Erivo responds, “For real? Are you joking? You have the hat? Oh my god!”
Karwai Tang/WireImage
With the actress having drawn nearer, Clara begins pulling up a picture of the hat sitting on a table and another of herself wearing it on her head, explaining, “I have it in my house! I don’t have it on me.”
A gleeful Erivo looks through the photos, telling Clara, “May I have it back, please? I thought I had lost it forever.” The Grammy nominee’s team also exclaims in shock at the reveal and approaches to gather Clara’s contact information as Erivo sings her praises. “Oh my goodness, you’re a lifesaver,” Erivo gushes.
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The hat in question is a velvet, dramatic, sculptural black hat that Erivo paired with her black Schiaparelli gown for the London premiere of the first entry of the two-part film series based on the stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman.
In a second TikTok video posted after the first went viral, Clara explained that she found the hat after she and her friend, who both live in Paris, attended the London premiere. The duo had gone back into the theater to look for some friends about 30 minutes after the film ended when Clara noticed someone had left their hat behind and decided to take a picture of it.
“I didn’t know it was Cynthia’s because it was so quick when she came in while we were waiting outside,” Clara says. “And then a guy who was cleaning everything and throwing things away said to me, ‘Do you want me or I’ll throw it away in the trash?’ I said, ‘I’m taking it! I don’t know what I’ll do with it, but I’m taking it.'”
Karwai Tang/WireImage
It was her friends who enlightened Clara that the hat was actually Erivo’s. She claimed that she attempted to return the hat to the actress during Paris Fashion Week but had “no chance” to catch her attention long enough for it to happen.
“Two days ago, that was the first time that I’ve met her, and that’s literally it,” Clara explains of her now-viral interaction with Erivo. “I told her I have the hat, her team contacted me, and I think that’s it.”
Clara went on, adding, “I kept the hat for a year and I just wanted to tell her myself and I didn’t know how to get a hold of her. She’s getting the hat back today. I put it in this lovely bag [a green and pink Wicked gift bag] and I’m giving it back.”