Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo say they made “a clear choice” to befriend each other when they were cast in Wicked — something not all stars do on film sets. Judging from their amazing chemistry onscreen, the choice paid off in more ways than one.
Grande tells Yahoo Entertainment she was captivated by Erivo two years before they met when she saw the Harriet star sing “Stand Up” at the 2020 Oscars.
“I remember … turning to my mom and saying, ‘That is the best female voice I’ve ever heard in my life. What is happening? Like, I need to meet her and tell her that and one day sing with her.’ And now here we are and we’ve just taken such great care of each other,” the 31-year-old Grammy winner says. “Since the moment that we met in a very real way, in a no BS way, honest and very communicative and kind and loving friendship.”
Erivo, who plays Elphaba to Grande’s Glinda, agrees.
“I think the thing I love about what we’ve done is there was a clear choice at the very beginning of this to do that and to take care of each other, to be honest,” she says. “To always make the space for one another, which I think has just allowed us to really grow as performers and in our personal lives as well. I think it’s been really special to do that.”
Erivo, 37, says it was “weird” because she and Grande kept “orbiting one another” before they were cast in the film, but never actually met. “We’ve sung the songs of these characters, but in opposition,” she explains, “and it’s sort of like been that for us until now.”
A fan of the musical stage play before she was cast in the film, Erivo says she “definitely” connects with Elphaba.
“I understand what it feels like to be very different, but you know, that lightness [of Glinda] that’s something that is definitely a part of who I am also,” she says. “I don’t necessarily always get to show it, but it’s there, you know? That is the nature of it. We’re [containing] multitudes.”
That lightness is something the Wicked cast and crew saw in Erivo and Grande.
Marissa Bode, who plays Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, says that “from the jump” Grande went out of her way to be “incredibly welcoming.”
“I hadn’t met Ari and my first day she had in my green room a bouquet of flowers and a little card saying ‘Welcome,’ which was really sweet,” the actress said.
“I think they both had such a generosity of spirit and from the second that we were all on set together, they were setting the tone and leading by example,” Ethan Slater — who also happens to be Grande’s boyfriend — tells Yahoo.
“They let their talent speak for itself and then they could just be really kind to everyone,” continued Slater, who plays Boq, a Munchkinlander in love with Glinda. “And the entire set — the crew, the cast, everyone who was there with us in Oz — just loved both of them so deeply and I think it created a really amazing warm atmosphere.”
Wicked is only in theaters on Friday, Nov. 22.
