Cynthia Erivo is reflecting back on how her friendship with Ariana Grande captivated fans during their Wicked press tour.
“At first, I think people didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends – close – and not lovers,” Erivo, 39, told the U.K. outlet The Stylist in a Tuesday, February 10, cover story. “I’ve never really spoken about this, but there was this strange fascination with the two of us, where people either thought we were putting it on for the cameras or that we were lovers.”
She continued, “And I think it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that is deep and real, even though it exists everywhere. We’re not used to seeing it on camera, in front of people. A relationship where people are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.”
Erivo and Grande, 32, starred opposite each other in the Wicked movie adaption playing Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The pair made headlines throughout the press tour with their chemistry and viral moments, including “holding space” for each other with Grande holding Erivo’s finger.
While recalling her history with the musical in her 2025 book Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much, Erivo also shared that she and Grande made a “pact” to protect each other while working on the blockbuster project.
“We hear often how female costars — or really, any costars — can sometimes let their egos get in the way until they battle each other, destroying the creative process for everyone involved,” Erivo wrote. “We were determined to do the opposite. To be the opposite. To build on each other’s strengths, to encourage the other, to see if, like our voices, we could become more than the sum of our parts.”
Erivo explained that she and Grande “worked in tandem” on set. “Our partnership was important,” she added. “We shared a strong synergy, a commitment to authenticity, and that, combined with the natural connection we fostered both on and off set, allowed us to support each other emotionally and professionally.”
Erivo went on to share that she found a lifelong friend in Grande, noting that the twosome still “speak or text each other almost every day.”
Grande, meanwhile, has also gushed over her connection with Erivo. In 2024, Grande joked that she and Erivo are “insufferable” amid their Wicked press tour.
“Cynthia is just an absolute brilliant gift of a human being,” Grande told Paul Mescal in a conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors issue in December 2024. “I think we tried to keep the pressure out of the room, obviously, as much as possible.”
“I’m watching you guys in the press tour. You’re obviously in love with each other,” Mescal, 30, said, to which Grande replied with a laugh, “Insufferable. Yes. We’re horrible. It’s bad.”
While Wicked received 10 nominations and two wins at the 2025 Academy Awards, the second part of the movie musical secured zero nods at the 2026 Oscars.
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