One of the biggest movie events of the year is here. The Hollywood film adaptation of Wicked, starring stage queen Cynthia Erivo and musical icon Ariana Grande, is all kinds of epic.
As well as being a hell of a load of fun, much like the theatre show and book that preceded it Wicked covers a range of issues that are incredibly relevant in the world today: discrimination based on skin colour, government corruption, toxic masculinity (Wizard of Oz, we're looking at you), cruelty against animals and the importance of seeing and loving the inner beauty in somebody, and everybody. And, of course, it champions the importance of sisterhood, and all the ways in which it empowers us.
She's one of the UK's most prestigious talents; we should be singing her praises from the rooftops.
Cynthia and Ariana, as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, are joined by a seriously magical cast, including Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz himself. Original stars of the US Broadway rendition of Wicked Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth also appear. It's a cinematic honouring of the entire witchy universe.
As something of a theatre aficionado, starring in The Color Purple on Broadway and inches from EGOT status (a recipient of a Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award), Cynthia is devastating as Elphaba, and Ariana's wit and humour that we enjoy so much in her lyrics (the very concept of thank u, next is so clever and funny – admit it) translates perfectly onto the big screen and permeates her depiction of Glinda.
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GLAMOUR sat down for an Unfiltered interview with Cynthia and Ariana, uncovering the real reason for the tears they've cried while promoting the movie, what they've learnt from each other and the ways in which they empower themselves and each other every day.
What did you guys learn from each other while filming?
Cynthia: I learned that it's OK to be as vulnerable as I need to be or want to be. And actually, I'm not the best at improv. I'm never as comfortable as I want to be, and I'm growing, but it's been fun watching [Ariana] do that improvisation when it comes to her so naturally.
Ariana: Oh my gosh. Okay, that's so nice. I love you. I have learned that it's okay to know what you need, and to not be so much of a people pleaser, and to gracefully and kindly set boundaries and speak up for what is right. And my goodness, so much, the list is so long, and we don't have enough time. I mean, [I’ve learned about] generous strength and fierce protection of others.
So much of Wicked is about two women finding their power, what moments of your life have you guys had to dig deep to find your own power?
Ariana: I think we are faced with opportunities to find more of our power every day. You know, I think challenges arise, and we have the question of what we're going to do with the truth, which is what Wicked is about. As our producer, Mark Platt says, when we receive new pieces of truth, what do we do with it, and how do we follow that power, and how do we maintain it? How do we continue to grow? How do we continue to find our goodness and follow it and maintain a connection to it?
Cynthia: I love that you say that it's about finding the truth, and when you find the truth, what do you do with it? And I think that really is a way for us to find our power, because that is where you seek it in the truth. And I think we grow every day within that, and I think we've had opportunities to do that within our careers and our lives, decisions that we've made. And you know, the more true we've become, the more ourselves we've become.
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You both live such elevated, fast-paced lives – how do you both take care of your mental well-being?
Cynthia: Drink tea, get some sleep as we can, and take care of one another.
Ariana: Yes, and stay close with our loved ones and our friends, call our friends. And to look out for each other.
Cynthia: I just had to get better, because when we were in this bubble filming…
Ariana: I wasn’t on my phone ever.
Cynthia: I disappeared. So we’ve learnt to be better at connecting with the people that we love.
Making the film has clearly affected you both a lot, there’s been quite a few tears from you along the way in interviews! What is it about the film and your bond that’s made you both so emotional and react that way?
Cynthia: Well, we've been stepping into dreams that we've had, and the content of this film is emotional. It is about love, it’s about friendship, it’s about acceptance. And when you feel those deeply, you can't help but to connect in that way. The tears come because we're humans, and we feel.
Ariana: And what a gift it is to feel!
Cynthia: Yeah, to share the feelings that we have.
Ariana: I think there's a tremendous gratitude… I'm a Cancer…
Cynthia: And I am a Capricorn who has learned from a Cancer…
Ariana: Yes that's true! I also think it just can't be ignored, the emotional context of the film and what we made in part one and part two – the parts you don't know about – there's so much weight and so much love.
Cynthia: Yeah, we put a lot of ourselves into it, you know?
Ariana: And it's just incredibly overwhelming to be at this point after such a long journey. It's been three and a half years at this point since we were cast, and the work began before that. So I think that also holds a lot of weight, and to finally be sharing it and to be receiving love from these fans…
Cynthia: It’s a big deal.
Ariana: It's tremendous.
Wicked is out in cinemas from 22 November.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I've seen Wicked, I've been changed for good.
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