Cynthia Erivo seemed to throw shade at other stars who auditioned for the role of Ariana Grande in Wicked.
Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the upcoming musical film, said she was grateful that Grande was cast as Glinda the Good Witch instead of the other actresses.
“Thank God, because they weren’t the two women I was auditioning with,” Erivo, 37, said in an interview with The New York Times published on Wednesday.
When the pop star was asked about casting choices, she had a similar response: “Thank God.”
This comes shortly after it was revealed that Dove Cameron and Reneé Rapp were among the stars also considered for the role that ended up going to the We Can’t Be Friends hitmaker, 31.
In the same article, Erivo and Grande also talked about how they both went through serious health issues before putting up major numbers during production.
Cynthia Erivo seemed to throw shade at other stars who auditioned for the role of Ariana Grande in Wicked. Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the upcoming musical film, said she was grateful that Grande was cast as Glinda the Good Witch instead of the other actresses; Pictured on November 3 in Sydney.
In 2021, Grande and Erivo were cast in Wicked as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, and quickly formed a close bond.
During their interview, they said they frequently spent their free days together: staying at each other’s houses, going shopping together, and even getting tattoos.
Of their connection and friendship, Grande told the outlet, “I think that was one of my most treasured parts of this experience: I felt hugged and like I had a friend every step of the way.”
“I’m so proud of us for how sincerely we’ve cared for each other all this time,” she added.
Grande also said that Erivo “really inspired her” as she gushed about working alongside her.
“I’m really inspired by her fierce ability to be honest and protect herself,” she said.
“Just by being around her, I’ve become an ally to myself when she used to abandon me a lot, and I really credit our friendship.”
Erivo shared that she had similar feelings towards Grande and explained that their friendship helped her believe in herself.
“Thank God, because they weren’t the two women I was auditioning with,” Erivo, 37, said in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday. When the pop star was asked about casting choices, she had a similar response: “Thank God”; photographed on October 29 in New York City.
In 2021, Grande and Erivo were cast in Wicked as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, and quickly formed a close bond. During their interview, they said they frequently spent their free days together: staying at each other’s houses, going shopping together, and even getting tattoos.
Grande also said that Erivo “really inspired her” as she gushed about working alongside her. Erivo shared that she had similar feelings towards Grande and explained that their friendship helped her believe in herself; Pictured on November 5 in Sydney.
Erivo and Grande star in the upcoming two-part film, which is an adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical and is a sequel to The Wizard of Oz. The film is scheduled to hit theaters with release dates of November 22, 2024 for Wicked: Part One and November 26, 2025 for Wicked: Part Two.
“I don’t think it was until I met her that I thought, ‘Oh, I guess I can have what I want in this life and I can have it my way.’ She really held my hand the whole time. “I’m over it and she wants it for me as much as I want it for myself.
The upcoming two-part film is adapted from the long-running Broadway musical and is a sequel to The Wizard of Oz.
The cast of Wicked also includes Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle and Marissa Bode.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters with release dates of November 22, 2024 for Wicked: Part One and November 26, 2025 for Wicked: Part Two.
