Cynthia Erivo praised the actresses who auditioned for the role of Glinda in the film “Wicked” and expressed gratitude that Ariana Grande ultimately got the role.
In a new interview with the new York TimesErivo, 37, and Grande, 31, talked about the casting process.
When asked what her reaction was after learning that the other one had been cast, Erivo responded, “No surprise at all.”
“I said, ‘Thank God,'” Grande recalled.
Erivo then took a dig at other women who were being considered to play Glinda in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical.
“Thank God, because it wasn’t the two women I was auditioning with,” Erivo said, which meant that the two other actresses auditioning to play the famous Good Witch of Oz were in the right place. Was not doing it.
Grande was stunned by the comment. “Oh my god!” He said.
“Thank Goodness” is also the name of a song from “Wicked”.
In addition to Grande, actresses Amanda Seyfried, Dove Cameron, Renee Rapp, and Taylor Louderman also auditioned for the role of Glinda. According to reports,
Erivo revealed that she did not think she would be considered for the role of Elphaba.
“Historically, black women were never really looked at for this role,” she said. “If they have, they haven’t got the role, and if they get it, they’re usually the alternate or first cover. On record I know of only one woman who has done that on the West End [in London]So I didn’t think they were looking for me.”
Erivo said that, although she did not know why so few black women were considered for the role since the show’s debut in 2004, she suggested, “Maybe it’s a symptom of the times it was made. Was.”
The Broadway vet is making headlines while promoting “Wicked,” which opens in theaters Nov. 22.
After a fan-edited version of the film’s poster, which obscured Erivo’s eyes, went viral, the star took to her Instagram story to express her displeasure.
“This is the wildest, most aggressive thing I’ve seen, the equivalent of that horrible AI fighting among us,” she wrote On 16 October.
“None of this is funny. None of this is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us. The original poster is an illustration. I’m a real-life human being who decided to look right down the camera at you, the viewer… because, without words, we communicate with our eyes.”
The fan-edited movie poster was intended to make the promo art more faithful to the design of the Broadway poster, with many people on social media criticizing the official poster. But in Erivo’s view, creating a “copy” of the original poster that would “hide my eyes” would result in “erasing me.”
“Our poster is a tribute, not a copy,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. She further wrote, “Editing my face and hiding my eyes is erasing me. This is extremely sad.”
The actress also shared the official poster of the film in a separate post on her Instagram story and wrote, “I leave this here to remind you and to cleanse your palette.”
Later that month, Erivo admitted that she “probably should have called my friends” instead of going to social media to express her feelings.
“I’m emotional about it and I know the fans are emotional about it and I think for me it was like a very human moment of wanting to protect little Elphaba,” she explained. entertainment tonight At the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards on October 28
“Maybe I should have called my friends, but it’s okay.”
