Cynthia Erivo has recalled the moment she forgot the words to the US national anthem in front of thousands of basketball fans at the 2018 Nets v Lakers game in New York.

The actress, 37, is in the midst of doing a promo tour for the musical Wicked and played Never Have I Ever with her co-stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey for British Vogue. 

When Bridgerton star Jonathan, 36, questioned: ‘Never have I ever forgotten my lines whilst filming’, Cynthia replied: ‘I will say there was one time I foolishly acquiesced to singing the national anthem at a basketball game. Bad idea. 

‘I got there and the dial-up came and I tell you… I did continue after a while, I found my way eventually. For a split second which felt like 20 years, I could not remember a damn thing.’ 

Ariana, who plays Glinda in the blockbuster, said: There are two spots in the national anthem where I feel like I could actually be singing the same thing three times in a row.

‘It reminds me of that part in Zoolander that keeps circling around and he’s like: ‘No matter how many friends you lose, no matter how many people you leave ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, bleeding and dying along the way, just so you can make a name for yourself… 

Cynthia Erivo has recalled the moment she forgot the words to the US national anthem in front of thousands of basketball fans at the 2018 Nets v Lakers game in New York

Cynthia stood on the court in agonising silence for 24 seconds as a member of staff whispered the words in her ear during the performance in 201/8 (oictured

‘But it’s the national anthem.’

The awkward moment happened when Cynthia stumbled over the words and then stopped altogether in front of the stunned crowd. 

Cynthia stood on the court in agonising silence for 24 seconds as a member of staff whispered the words in her ear. 

Eventually, she started from the beginning as the sympathetic crowd cheered her on. After the game, she explained she was ‘nervous and tired’.

She later tweeted: ‘Some people have quiet mess ups, some people mess in front of the world.

‘I’m human and I mess up in the same way as everyone else, so if you were watching tonight, I’m sorry, I was nervous and tired. I strive for perfection, so right now no one can beat me up more than myself.’

Fans offered their sympathy on social media. One wrote: ‘In her defense, she was born and raised in the UK and only recently has been living in the US’.

Another added: ‘I feel terrible for her. Plenty of videos on YouTube of Americans screwing up the anthem themselves, so I hope she doesn’t feel too bad about it.’

Cynthia spoke about the moment she completely forgot the words during a game of Never Have I Ever 

The actress plays Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana takes on the role of Glinda the Good Witch  

Cynthia played Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Colour Purple. She also starred in Steve McQueen’s heist movie Widows.

She was born to Nigerian parents in Stockwell, south London and dropped out of a music psychology degree at the University of East London to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

The actress plays Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Cynthia was reportedly paid $1 million while the supporting actress Ariana is making over tenfold the same number.

The pop sensation is reportedly getting paid $15 million for her part in the musical movie adaptation which broke records in its opening weekend numbers for any Broadway movies.

Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, who play Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively, are reportedly earning $2 million each.