Wicked star Cynthia Erivo sets the record straight about her equation with co-star and friend Ariana Grande. Erivo shared in a recent interview that the two of them text each other almost every day. The duo co-starred in both Wicked movies and raised eyebrows with their friendship and camaraderie.
Cynthia Erivo reveals whether she and Ariana Grande had a rift after Wicked: For Good
Cynthia Erivo recently broke the silence on rumors of a falling-out with Ariana Grande. In a new interview with Variety, Erivo looked back on the promotions for the two “Wicked” movies and their friendship. Erivo stated, “I think that people didn’t really believe that we were actually friends. But that’s also because people don’t know me very well. If I’m a friend, then I’m a friend. If I’m not, then I’m not.”
The British star insisted that the duo were “really trying to take care of each other.” In Erivo’s opinion, they made a “conscious decision” to nurture their relationship. Erivo explained that it was “interesting” to watch people’s perceptions versus the reality. “Lots of psychologists seated at home deciding who we were, what we were going through, what we were doing and why,” the Oscar-nominated actress remarked.
Furthermore, Erivo addressed online jokes and memes about being the pop star’s bodyguard. The Outsider star explained that the jokes are, in fact, rooted in racism and people’s preconceived notions about her racial identity.
Erivo stated, “Because that’s what was being made fun of. It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the fact that I was bald; it was about what I looked like. And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role. I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around.”
