Cynthia Erivo Addresses Speculation About Her Friendship With Ariana Grande

Cynthia Erivo is pushing back against online speculation about her friendship with Ariana Grande, saying their close bond during the Wicked film promotion was real and not something staged for cameras.

The Tony Award winner, 39, spoke about the relationship in a recent Variety interview while reflecting on the years-long press tour for "Wicked" and its sequel "Wicked: For Good." Erivo said she was surprised that some people doubted their friendship, especially since they stayed in close contact throughout filming and promotion.

"I think that people didn't really believe that we were actually friends," she said. "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."

According to Yahoo, she also shared that she and Grande still text almost every day, even after the intense press cycle slowed down. The actress explained that the public often misread their connection during the high-pressure rollout of the "Wicked" films, which began as early as the 2024 awards season.

Cynthia Erivo Says the Public Misread Her Bond With Ariana Grande

Erivo and Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda in the Universal Pictures adaptations of the famous Broadway musical, spent months together at interviews, premieres, and events around the world. She said the experience showed her how different reality can be from online opinions.

"It's very interesting, watching what people's perception is versus what the reality actually is," Erivo said, adding that people outside the situation often created their own ideas about what was happening between them.

Erivo described their relationship as supportive, saying they made a quiet agreement early on to look after each other during the demanding project.

In her memoir "Simply More," she wrote that they "committed to protecting and caring for each other through this process," especially in an industry where tensions between co-stars can sometimes grow, People reported.

During the "Wicked" campaign, one moment that highlighted their closeness came at a premiere in Singapore when a man rushed toward Grande on the red carpet. Erivo stepped in quickly to help protect her co-star, later explaining that her reaction was instinctive because she saw someone crossing a boundary.

Despite criticism from some viewers who felt she overreacted, Erivo stood by her actions, saying personal space must always be respected.

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Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande