Cynthia Erivo Is No Longer Doing Interviews; Ariana Grande Joins in Support at ‘Wicked’ Premiere

Ariana Grande showed support for her costar Cynthia Erivo on Monday night at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere in New York City. According to organizers at the event, both actors chose not to give full interviews because Erivo had lost her voice.

Even so, they still stopped by the official E! livestream for a short moment with host Justin Sylvester.

Only Grande was given a microphone, and she made it clear she was protecting Erivo’s voice. At one point she said, “I’m not letting her speak. She has to rest her voice!” Erivo stood beside her smiling while Grande answered questions for both of them.

Grande chatted about their shared Grammy nomination for “Defying Gravity”, which is up for best pop duo/group performance next year.

She also talked about Erivo’s upcoming solo album and her book “Simply More.” After listing Erivo’s projects, Grande laughed and asked her, “Am I doing OK?” Erivo nodded and laughed back.

When the topic turned to how they felt with the end of the Oz story getting closer, Grande said they were probably feeling the same thing, describing it as “overwhelming gratitude.” She said creating the movie with people they love and respect has been a special experience. She added that they were excited for fans to finally see the whole story.

Erivo then leaned in and whispered something to Grande, but Grande couldn’t hear her. Erivo ended up speaking softly into the mic, saying in a raspy voice, “It’s really beautiful that we’re finishing here, where it started.” She was talking about New York City, home of the Gershwin Theatre, where the “Wicked” musical first opened in 2003.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!