Wicked fans have been left baffled by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande‘s promotional interviews for the film.
- READ MORE: Everything we know about ‘Wicked Part Two’
During their press run, the pair have seemingly remained in character, regularly breaking down in tears. In a more recent interview, which has now gone viral, Erivo gave a bizarre response to a journalist from Out magazine.
“I’ve seen this week people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that,” journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist said, referring to the musical’s anthem.
This led to an overdramatic response from Erivo, who replied: “I didn’t know that was happening. That’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.”
I can’t tell what my favorite part of this video is: the solemnity in announcing people have been “holding space” for the lyrics of a 20 year old song, Cynthia acting like she personally wrote it, Ariana holding onto Cynthia’s index finger, or the reveal of “a couple of posts” https://t.co/eDDUNcvaRn
— maya
(@irish_goodbi) November 22, 2024
It led to a series of memes and bemused comments from fans.
“The Wicked interviews are so fing weird and cringe i don’t even wanna see it,” one wrote.
Another added: “Why is every Wicked interview I’ve seen so far with the main two celebrities so… weird. Holding… space… You… have… been… Whispering… Holding… hands… finger…”
One fan also wrote: “This is the stupidest interview ever not one sentence makes sense.”
the Wicked interviews are so fing weird and cringe i don’t even wanna see it
— chelsey (@chelsaintgoin) November 27, 2024
Why is every Wicked interview I’ve seen so far with the main two celebrities so… weird.
Holding… space…
You… have… been…
Whispering…
Holding… hands… finger… pic.twitter.com/50xU6xArCt— somanybooks.bsky.social (@SoManyBooks6) November 27, 2024
this is the stupidest interview ever not one sentence makes sense
pic.twitter.com/t6oU8LDvEE
— damita jo (@mydesignscene) November 25, 2024
Why does every Wicked interview with Ariana Grande/Cynthia Erivo come across as really weird/creepy/fake and disingenuous? Ive never seen so many bizarre interviews during promo junkets.
— ΩStuntman MikeΩ (@Stuntman_Mik3) November 28, 2024
Every Wicked Interview pic.twitter.com/OHrMly3fh2
— Misha Petrov (@realmishapetrov) November 27, 2024
Gilchrist later responded to the interview going viral, via Out: “When I posed the question to Cynthia about people holding space with the lyrics to ‘Defying Gravity,’ it was two days after the election, and everyone I knew in the LGBTQ+ community was trying to make sense of what we might be facing. I loved her response, and I love that people are having a laugh, because I know I could use one about now.”
“I never considered I’d become a meme,” Gilchrist added. “But as an unrepentant showqueen, I’m thrilled that it’s for something this campy, in response to a movie I love. Now go see Wicked!”
With a combined $270million (£214.6milion) in worldwide ticket sales over the weekend, Wicked was the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. It was also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.
Wicked hit cinemas in the UK and US on November 22, and it’s predicted by cinema bosses to be the biggest film of the year.
Jon M. Chu’s film debuted with $114million (£90.6million) domestically and $164.2million (£130.5million) globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates.
Reviewing the movie, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and is an adaptation of the stage musical which tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, NME awarded it four stars and said the “hit musical makes a gravity-defying leap to the big screen”.
“Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz,” it added.
Wicked Part Two is slated for a cinema release on November 21, 2025, and you can check out everything we know about it so far, here.
The post ‘Wicked’ interviews: Why are people calling Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande “weird”? appeared first on NME.
