Here's How Cynthia & Ariana Handle Conversations About Their Appearances
Of course, Elphaba and Glinda are each other’s biggest fans.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s close friendship has been well-documented throughout Wicked: Part 1 and Wicked: For Good’s press runs. Whether they’re crying together or holding space, they’ve got each other’s backs — so much so that Erivo actually protected Grande when an overzealous Wicked fan attacked at the sequel’s Signapore premiere. Now, Erivo’s opening up about how they offer each other support when conversations about their appearances take over.
According to Erivo, they agreed to be there for each other when they first started working on this project. “That was right at the beginning,” Erivo tells USA Today. “We’ve had this conversation about people talking about what we look like, and we’re able to look at one another and say, ‘Just know I see you and everything that you are. Whatever state you’re in, you’re so beautiful to me.’”
Throughout the sequel’s press run, they’ve continued to carry that mindset with them. Apparently, if Erivo does a red carpet solo, Grande will reach out. “She’ll see it, and I’ll get a message from her that just says, ‘By the way, you look beautiful in this.’ Then I’ll send her the same message as well.”
Erivo also reached out after Grande went brunette after a few years of sporting Glinda’s blonde locks. After she made the change to “this sweet, warm brown,” Erivo recalled reaching out right away. “I messaged her immediately, ‘I love the brown, you look beautiful.’ … Just messages for each other so that whatever the world says, it doesn't really matter, because the important thing is how we feel about ourselves.”
According to Erivo, she is used to hearing comments on her appearance. In her book, Simply More, she wrote about experiencing that kind of feedback in her teens. “I’ve heard it all, every version of what’s wrong with me,” Erivo wrote. “And when I fix it, then it’s wrong for different reasons. … It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise.”
“In today’s society, there’s a degree of ease involved in commenting on others," Erivo added in her book. "Their looks, what people think might be going on behind the scenes, their health, or how they present themselves. … Their ease in making remarks is really dangerous for all parties involved.”
