NEW YORK – Ethan Slater says his "Wicked" costar Ariana Grande is "doing well" after a man jumped a barricade and charged at her during the movie's premiere in Singapore last week.
"One of the things that came out of what happened in Singapore was people seeing how much we as a cast take care of each other," Slater tells USA TODAY of the incident. "Cynthia (Erivo) and Michelle (Yeoh) really taking care of Ariana when that happened was a really beautiful thing."
Castmates huddled protectively around Grande when an Australian man, later identified as Johnson Wen, rushed toward the actress on the Nov. 13 red carpet. Wen pleaded guilty to being a public nuisance and was sentenced to nine days in jail, according to the BBC.
Slater, speaking with USA TODAY just after the New York premiere of "Wicked: For Good" (in theaters Nov. 21), says he wasn't privy to any changes in security as a result of the scary encounter, but noted that meeting fans is "really important to everyone" in the cast.
In traveling and fulfilling film obligations, Erivo lost her voice. Grande apologized for not stopping to talk as she escorted her "Defying Gravity" partner through the carpet at New York's Lincoln Center.
