When casting for the film adaptation of Wicked, the studio found themselves with an almost impossible task when finding the right people for the characters Glinda and Elphaba. But in the end, the role of Elphaba went to singer Cynthia Erivo. Holding both a Tony and Grammy Award for her role in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, the actress joined another talented singer, Ariana Grande, who landed the role of Glinda. With the film already gaining buzz as fans await a full-length trailer, Erivo recently praised Grande and the connection they made on set.
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Appearing on The Tonight Show, Erivo and host Jimmy Fallon discussed her time on the Wicked set. Given the size of Wicked, the film is broken up into two parts. The first part will hit theaters in 2024 with the second part coming a year later in 2025. While fans still have another year to wait, the singer shared some insight on what to expect from her time sharing the screen with Grande. She told Fallon her costar was “the best”, adding that “The connection we’ve made is really special.”
Considering Grande a “family member for life”, Erivo admitted that neither of them knew how well their voices would complement each other. “I don’t know that we realized that our voices would fit so well together. Our voices are very, very different, but when we sing together, it just works.”
Their voices worked so well together that Grande came up with a special word to describe it. Erivo revealed “She calls it worming. I don’t know why. We sort of find each other.”
Cynthia Erivo Not Giving Any Details About ‘Wicked’
Wanting to know more about the filming of Wicked, Fallon asked the singer how the process was going. Erivo didn’t give too many details away, not wanting to spoil anything for fans, but she did share her own excitement. “I’m so excited. We’ve had a really good time on set, and it just is a wonderful, wonderful vibe.” She continued, “We’re working really hard.”
Besides Erivo and Grande, Wicked will also feature top talents like Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, and Michelle Yeoh.
(Photo by Jason Davis/WireImage)
