Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande formed a special relationship on the set of Wicked and Wicked: For Good, and their bond has caused rumors to circulate about what happens behind closed doors.
This might come as a surprise to some, but the internet isn’t private, and Erivo and Grande can see the jokes and posts about them, and Erivo spoke to Stylist about it, as reported by EW.
The actress said, “At first, I think people didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends — close — and not lovers.” A lot of spectators assumed their relationship was either romantic or they were putting on a show to promote their movie.
Erivo went on to admit that there is a “strange fascination” with her and Grande’s relationship.
She believes their relationship was misconstrued by the public because female friendships are underrepresented in the media. “I think it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that is deep and real, even though it exists everywhere,” she said.
Erivo admitted, “A relationship where people are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.“
The singer is no stranger to being vulnerable in front of a crowd. While portraying Elphaba in the Wicked duology, she had to perform multiple heart-wrenching and emotional songs.
One of those moments occurs during the song “No Good Deed” when Elphaba attempts to save the love of her life, Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey. Before the song, Fiyero sacrificed himself so she could escape the Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum.
To perform the song, Erivo had to reach deep inside herself to produce the strong emotions needed for the song. The actress said she was “really proud” of that performance because she was the only person in the scene and therefore had no one to work off of.
Film viewers would see powerful imagery and magical special effects in the scene, but Erivo didn’t have any of that during her performance. The scene was shot in front of a blue screen.
She said, “I was really proud of being able to do something that was that big, that grand, and still be able to hone into the feeling, the moment.”
Erivo and Grande also shared an emotional moment when performing the song “For Good,” a song about their character’s friendship where they say goodbye to each other. It’s a very vulnerable moment for the actors.
Elphaba has been seen as a very strong character throughout the films, but this is one of the rare moments where the film could “crack open her vulnerability,” said Erivo.
Wicked and Wicked: For Good can be streamed on Peacock, and it can be purchased on other streaming services.
- Release Date
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November 22, 2024
- Runtime
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160 Minutes
- Director
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Jon M. Chu