Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for Universal PicturesCynthia Erivo I will always support her Wicked costar Ariana Grande — no matter what.
During an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Erivo, 37, was asked about Grande’s recent comments about online harassment.
“I think cyberbullying is quite dangerous, to be honest, because it’s easy to be behind the computer and write words about someone you don’t know anything about,” Erivo said, of Deadline. “I think the more we can protect ourselves from that, the better.”
She added: “The best way to support someone going through this is to really be a counterpoint to everything that’s coming to that person. Be the person who says the positive. What a person who has never met you (thinks) is never more important than what you think about yourself.”
Something evil is coming this way – and Cynthia Erivo is celebrating! As the highly anticipated musical adaptation hits theaters on Friday, Nov. 22, Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the film, took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to her collaborators, actor Ariana Grande and director John M. Listen, Friday. “This trip was (…)
Grande, 31, is vocal about it how online criticism affected her career and personal life. Now she has shaken off the haters to prioritize her own happiness and well-being.
“I’ve been doing this in public and I’ve been kind of a petri dish specimen since I was 16 or 17 years old,” Grande said on the Thursday, Dec. 5 episode of the web series “Oui Oui Baguette”. “So, I heard everything. I’ve heard every version of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for various reasons.
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in Wicked.
Giles Keyte/Universal PicturesShe added: “It’s something that’s uncomfortable no matter what scale you experience it on. Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone’s grandma says, “Oh my God, you look thinner, what happened?” or “You look heavier, what happened?” That’s something that’s uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it happens. There’s a convenience that people comment on that I think is really dangerous.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked press tour was one for the books. The duo – who portray Glinda and Elphaba respectively in the screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway show – got considerably emotional while discussing their special relationship in the film, which hits theaters in November 2024. “I think we found (…)
Erivo and Grande star as witches Elphaba and Galinda/Glinda in the two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked. The first film is currently in theaters and the second one drops in November 2025. Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oztelling how the iconic Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North meet as roommates at Shiz University.
Elphaba has green skin, which for Erivo represents “every person who feels different” in society.
“Elphaba is a challenging character because you want to make sure people see her vulnerability and her humanity,” Erivo added at the Red Sea Film Festival. “You can get distracted by the green. You have to go through that so people can see her as a person, the pain in her eyes and the pain she feels in her heart. With Elphaba, I had this beautiful challenge to humanize her and even the greenery she lives with.”
