Cynthia Erivo is reflecting on the intense, often overwhelming experience of making and promoting the two-part Wicked film franchise, saying she and co-star Ariana Grande spent years “holding on by threads” while trying to support each other through constant public scrutiny. Speaking in London while performing in her solo stage production Dracula, Erivo says the reality of filming and touring with Wicked was far more complicated than the online perception of their friendship and the media frenzy around them.
Erivo says she and Grande made a deliberate effort to build a close relationship during the films’ long press campaigns, often appearing together in interviews and on red carpets in coordinated green-and-pink looks that mirrored Elphaba and Glinda. Despite that, their bond was frequently questioned online. Erivo says people who do not know her often misread her personality, but insists that when she considers someone a friend, the connection is genuine. She says she and Grande still text nearly every day.
The article traces Erivo’s rise from South London to major award recognition, including a Tony Award for The Color Purple, a Grammy, an Emmy and Oscar nominations for Harriet and Wicked. She describes the Wicked experience as life-changing but also exhausting, noting that the first film’s success made her a global star, while the sequel brought a new wave of criticism and overexposure. She suggests the long awards-season rollout left little room for the franchise to breathe.
A major turning point came during the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore, when a man rushed Grande and grabbed her. Erivo says her instinct was to intervene immediately because no one else moved. While many praised her for protecting Grande, the moment also triggered jokes and memes that framed her as a “bodyguard.” Erivo says the reaction exposed deeper bias against Black women, arguing that people mocked her appearance, body shape and shaved head, and made assumptions about her role based on stereotypes.
The backlash affected her so deeply that she says it discouraged her from continuing awards campaigning, leaving her feeling that her humanity had been distorted. She also says the sequel was dismissed too quickly by some critics and that the Wicked promotional cycle had become emotionally draining.
Now back on stage in Dracula, where she plays 23 characters over a grueling two-hour performance, Erivo says returning to live theater has helped her feel grounded again. She remains proud of Wicked’s success, but says any future sequel would have to make sense creatively. She is focused instead on other projects, including playing Miriam Makeba in The Road Home, and she hopes to take on roles such as Storm in X-Men or a creature in a Guillermo del Toro film.
Despite the turbulence, Erivo says there were positives, including the public’s enthusiasm for her and Jonathan Bailey as queer actors playing a romantic heterosexual couple. She also speaks warmly about Bailey’s charity, The Shameless Fund, and their shared desire to support LGBTQ communities.
