Wicked star Cynthia Erivo has revealed she felt a ‘great responsibility’ to look after Ariana Grande during filming for the blockbuster musical.
The actress, 37, was discussing her role as Elphaba Thropp in a new interview CBS News where she discussed her friendship with her co-star.
The singer explained that before filming began the pair discussed how they would work together and Cynthia revealed she felt it was important to take care of the popstar.
She added that the pair both knew the film was going to be successful and knew that with all the pressure they would have to work together.
She told the US news channel: ‘Before we started shooting both of us had a conversation about making sure that we would take care of each other and make the space that we needed for each other, and take, you know, give each other what we needed, be generous with each other in this thing, because we knew it was a big undertaking.
‘We knew we had a big responsibility, but we knew neither of us could really do that alone.’
The West End star also confessed that her and Ariana’s friendship only started when they met to film the musical but they have since developed a strong bond that neither of them had expected.
She went on to say, that despite never having met before, they noticed their chemistry straight away.
The first time the pair met, Cynthia explained that Ariana, 31, came to her house where they chatted and discussed the film and it was there that they knew they would be friends.
And after singing together properly for the first time at director Jon M. Chu’s home after dinner, they made a pact to look out for each other and nurture each other’s talents.
And the Harriet star candidly discussed how starring in the film, which has already proved a hit, raking in $262 million in the US alone, forced her to confront her vulnerabilities.
Cynthia said: ‘It means people can see the human being behind the character a little bit more, that meant I had to allow myself to do that a little bit, which was terrifying, but I knew it would be meaningful.
‘That was really the only way to play this role.’
And she told the news presenter that she is proud of her portrayal of Elphaba and is excited for others to see the show and even encouraged fans to sing along if that felt right for them.
She said she didn’t want to be the actress that told fans not to enjoy themselves while watching her film.
And for her appearance on CBS News, Cynthia looked nothing short of gorgeous in a structured long sleeved mini dress with boxy pockets and a zip up the front.
The star added a pair of platform black boots to her look and threw an oversized black wool coat over her dazzling outfit.
Cynthia’s discussion comes after the singer spoke about her strong physical connection with Ariana, and how they often communicate through touch.
The actress shared how her and the Bad Idea singer bond in a teaser clip for her upcoming appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, set to air on December 10.
Speaking of their connection, she said: ‘I think I’m sort of used to it now. If it’s not like connected, I’m like, what’s wrong? What’s happening? Where are you? You know what I mean?’
‘We always end up… we walk hand-in-hand very often. Like, if we’re not walking hand-in-hand, we’ll find each other somewhere,’ she added.
After Drew — who was recently pushed away by Martha Stewart for getting too close mid-interview — spoke about not being able to hold back from ‘holding hands, hugging, snuggling,’ Cynthia said that many people are ‘a bit afraid of physical connection.’
‘I think we assume that physical connection can only be romantic,’ she said.
She continued: ‘I think we don’t realize that how we communicate sometimes is by physical touch.’
‘Like sometimes you can’t say anything and you’re in a room and you’re like, I just that it’s just like a squeeze of hand and that’s sometimes how she and I communicate, we might be talking to someone or I might need to, like, communicate something to her.’
‘And I’m, it’s just a squeeze of the hand or just like a pinch of a finger, you know, or a hug. It just, you know, whatever we, however we need to communicate, it is how we need to communicate.’
‘And I think we don’t give enough credit to how we communicate with our friends physically.’
Ariana and Cynthia have been turning heads for weeks after a series of bizarre interviews during the Wicked press tour – and recently yet another cringeworthy moment has caught fans’ attention.
In another bizarre clip, which went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, Cynthia broke down in tears over wearing her character Elphaba’s green makeup on set.
The two women sat down with a reporter for Pink News last week to promote their highly-anticipated movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical.
During the interview, Cynthia appeared visually emotional as she explained that removing the green makeup everyday made her feel more comfortable in her own appearance.
The clip showed Ariana, who also appeared emotional over the comment, clutching Cynthia’s hand and breathlessly praising her beauty.
Film fans had a lot to say about the clip, with some joking the interview looked like ‘an emotional support group’, while others said the uncomfortable press tour has turned them off going to see the movie.
