Cynthia Erivo says her friendship with Ariana Grande did not end when the Wicked press tour did.
The 39-year-old actor addressed speculation that her close bond with Grande, 32, was exaggerated for publicity during a new Variety interview, as covered by PEOPLE. Erivo said the two still text almost every day after starring together in Wicked and Wicked: For Good.
“I think that people didn’t really believe that we were actually friends,” Erivo said, according to PEOPLE. “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.”
Erivo Said People Misread the Friendship
E! News reported that Erivo described it as strange to watch people debate “what the reality actually is” from a distance.
The two actors became a major focus of the Wicked rollout because of how emotional and physically close they often appeared during interviews and red carpets. Erivo pushed back on the idea that the visible support was only performance.
PEOPLE reported that Erivo said she and Grande were “really trying to take care of each other” during a long promotional run that began before the first movie opened in November 2024 and continued through Wicked: For Good.
The Wicked Press Run Put Their Bond Under a Microscope
Wicked placed Erivo and Grande at the center of one of Hollywood’s biggest musical rollouts. Erivo played Elphaba, while Grande played Glinda in director Jon M. Chu’s two-part adaptation of the Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman stage musical.
The official Wicked movie site lists Wicked: For Good as available on digital, 4K UHD, and Blu-ray, moving the film series into its at-home release stage.
According to PEOPLE, Erivo described the Wicked phenomenon as a “storm in a teacup” that took over everything. She also said the scale of the rollout left her and Grande “holding on by threads” near the end.
Erivo Defended Her Reaction at the Singapore Premiere
One moment from the Wicked: For Good tour became part of the friendship discussion. At the Singapore premiere, a man rushed the red carpet toward Grande, and Erivo stepped in.
E! News reported that Erivo said her immediate reaction was to get the man away from Grande because he would not let go. Erivo said she moved when no one else did and later defended the response as a matter of personal space.
Some online critics questioned the moment, but Erivo stood by it. Her explanation gave another example of how the friendship became something people kept analyzing from short clips.
Grande Has Also Described the Friendship as Intentional
Grande has also spoken publicly about building a real friendship during filming. E! News reported that Grande previously said it was important for the two actors to create a safe space for each other during the long Wicked production process.
PEOPLE reported that Erivo wrote about the friendship in her memoir Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much, including a pact the two made to support each other before filming started.
Erivo said she and Grande still text “almost every day” after finishing the Wicked films, directly pushing back on the idea that the friendship only existed for promotion.
Erivo Is Moving Into New Work After Wicked
Erivo’s comments came as she continues shifting attention toward projects beyond Oz. PEOPLE reported that she is starring in a one-person West End production of Dracula, playing the title character and 22 other roles.
Her upcoming screen work includes Children of Blood and Bone, The Road Home, and David Oyelowo’s Othello, according to PEOPLE.
The Wicked conversation is not disappearing soon, but Erivo’s latest comments give a direct answer to the friendship speculation. She says she and Grande are still in daily contact, and she does not treat friendship as something to perform for an audience.