The Tony winner also discussed the "insidious" response to her protecting Grande in Singapore.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at the "Wicked: For Good" New York Premiere held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 17, 2025, in New York.
John Nacion/Variety
Cynthia Erivo knows about how popular it was for the internet to dissect her friendship with Wicked costar Ariana Grande last year, something the Tony winner addressed in a Variety cover story published Wednesday (May 27).
While reflecting on the whirlwind promotional run of the Wicked films that lasted throughout 2024 and 2025, Erivo addressed some of the misconceptions about herself and the pop star that ran rampant online for months. “It’s very interesting, watching what people’s perception is versus what the reality actually is,” she told the publication. “Lots of psychologists seated at home deciding who we were, what we were going through, what we were doing and why.”
