Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, left) and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) reunite in a scene from "Wicked: For Good."

Cynthia Erivo has an ingenious way of sniffing out her characters.

So how does she do it? While many stars rely on exhaustive research and Method acting to embody their roles, Erivo's magic secret is perfume. And for the bewitching blockbuster "Wicked: For Good" (in theaters Nov. 21), the scent that worked surprised even her.

For "Wicked: Part One," which was released last fall, "I was wearing Le Labo Lys 41," Erivo told USA TODAY in a recent interview for her upcoming book, "Simply More" (out Nov. 18). "And for Part Two, you'll never believe me when I tell you what it's called, but it's the truth. There's a scent by a brand called Vyrao called Witchy Woo. When I smelled it for the first time, I was like, 'It can't possibly work. I's not going to work! I’m not going to fall in love with this – it's too on the nose.'"

But after putting some on her hand, "it kept catching me off guard and it felt really good," Erivo continues. "I couldn't get it out of my brain and it for some reason worked with my body chemistry, so I went back to get it."

In the fantasy movie musical, the three-time Oscar nominee plays the misunderstood Elphaba, who leads a fight against the duplicitous Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) to save the animals of Oz. Erivo layered the floral scent of Lys 41 with the earthier tones of Witchy Woo to capture the many facets of Elphaba, who is labeled a wicked witch by Oz's corrupt government, but inside, she is still a compassionate idealist.

"I still wanted to have something from the beginning, but I wanted it to have grown and Witchy Woo is how it grows," Erivo says. "And then, from time to time, I would have a real oud on. Ouds are part of me; that’s the thing I wear a lot. So it's a combination of three perfumes that make Elphaba."

How Cynthia Erivo is trying to 'recenter' on the whirlwind 'Wicked: For Good' press tour

In her self-help-style memoir "Simply More," Erivo, 38, shares the little ways that she tries to anchor herself amid a chaotic schedule, whether it's packing snacks from home when she goes to work or wearing comfy, matching pajama sets and robes at home. She's also adopted new self-care routines for the second go-around of the "Wicked" press tour, which over the course of two grueling weeks, stops in São Paulo, Paris, London, Singapore, and New York.

"What I didn't do the last time was plan lymphatic massages," Erivo says. "They help to remove any toxins and any water retention within the body, but it also just makes me feel really good. It really helps me reconnect. So I've tried to plot (those massages) at every stop that I'm going to."

She is an avid runner as well, and "when I’m in these hotels, I’ve got a treadmill basically in the bedroom. I can roll out of bed onto the treadmill," says Erivo, who also keeps her favorite fruits and essential oils on hand. "I just set myself up so I'm never wanting for anything. And this time around on the tour, I have my best friend (Capri Hakeem) with me. I didn't get to bring him the last time, but this time I've been allowed to bring my bestie. That's just someone who is there to help me refocus and recenter. So it's the little things."

As for her fragrances, Erivo is currently on the hunt for what she'll wear in her one-woman production of "Dracula," which opens in London's West End in February. The gothic horror drama is directed by Kip Williams, whose one-person "The Picture of Dorian Gray" starring Sarah Snook won a best actress Tony Award last Broadway season.

"I'm scouring the world to find the right perfume for 'Dracula' because 23 characters is a lot!" Erivo says. "I'm trying to find one that represents all of them."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cynthia Erivo had a 'witchy' way to get in character for 'Wicked: For Good'

Reporting by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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