Sloan Jambor ‘26, Copy Editor
On Nov. 22, Wicked, the movie remake of the Broadway musical, entered theatres everywhere. The buzz to see the new hit sent the movie soaring through the charts, and longtime and new fans loved every moment of it. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starred as the two leads, Glinda and Elphaba, and their pre-release interviews left fans questioning whether this movie would be worth it, or if these stars were just too emotional.
From the moment press videos came out, there was one apparent recurrence: Grande and Erivo cried and comforted each other with almost every single interview in which they participated. Occasionally, there were large insightful questions that had the ability to pierce their hearts, but even the small questions seemed to have the exact same effect. On TikTok, Republic Records released a video of the interviewer asking, “In what ways has the person sitting next to you changed you for good?” To which, Grande immediately started to tear up while Erivo had a clear emotional reaction. Grande then stated how they had gained a piece of each other from this film, and they embraced each other by holding hands.
While it may seem like a caring gesture, and it definitely grabbed the fans’ attention, it also piqued interest for what really happened on the set. One commenter stated, “I need a behind-the-scenes now because it has gotten to a point! What.. did.. they.. go.. through?” The continued themes of crying and embracing has only led to more confusion for fans, because nobody truly knows what could have happened where they felt such growth from the other. It not only has led fans to feel concerned but also a sense of annoyance regarding the tears in every interview. Another commenter on the same video stated, “I can’t do this today,” with multiple others replying by tagging their friends or agreeing with the comment. Such an embrace has led fans to become annoyed with the two actors, but nobody knows why the two have become such a pair.
Though there may not be a definitive answer, there are certainly speculations as to why the film has caused such emotion. Starring in Wicked has been one of Grande and Erivio’s dreams since before they could imagine what their life would become. There are videos of Grande singing the songs, meeting the lead actresses of the original production, and statements of her talking about how being a part of such an experience is a dream of hers. Grande and Erivio both got to accomplish a dream, meet another strong and amazing actress in the process, and watch themselves grow. All of those factors can be attributed to the emotion they are feeling towards the movie and how happy they are to see it unfold in front of them.
While it may also be a dream, it is also a grueling process to film a three-hour movie where you are doing each and every of your own stunts while singing the lines that go with them. Erivo said in an interview with Buzzfeed that “This experience was like a huge, life-changing, crazy, emotional thing.” She later followed it with a joke about both her and Grande having therapists that they also talk and cry to despite most people just making fun of them because they are constantly crying to each other. Both actresses accomplished a spectacular movie that hit big with fans and the box office, so their emotion comes from a good spot in their hearts. Junior Mari Lucy Stoll said, “[She] loved it. The songs and musical performances were good, and [she] loved the acting.”
No matter how much effort and time was spent putting into this movie, there are still other concerns that fans have with the actresses themselves. Both actresses did appear to lose a lot of weight, especially in their facial structure, and fans were concerned about their well-being. To every single one of these comments, the actresses and other celebrities have outwardly said that the shame needs to stop and that nobody knows what anybody is truly going through. This has yet to stop the TikTok and Instagram parodies that people have made with multiple creators posting mimic videos of Grande and Erivo. It contains the two appearing abnormally skinnier, embracing each other, and tearing up while mentioning how they are each other’s best friend. Despite creators being wrong, the posts will never stop due to social media culture that normalizes posting a video making fun of others for likes and views.
As mentioned before, the appearance of Grande and Erivio, and their weight-loss, raised immediate concern for viewers. There were fears about what really happened on that set, but in return, Grande and Erivio just sent the message that they were okay; they were especially okay with being near the other. Grande’s nerves are diminished with physical touch, and Erivio is always there to calm those nerves when it is needed. Both stars have mentioned their ability to “disappear” into the roles they played during this movie, and they needed each other to calm their nerves because social media painted such a specific picture of them. They had to act, look, and be exactly perfect or else the media would send backlash and claim they simply were not fit for the role. However, no matter the pain they went through, they went through it together and guarded each other to gain the strength needed to power through the hate. It may have started as a concern, but after the release of Wicked, and the powerful message it sent to viewers, Grande and Ervio’s crying on camera does not seem so excessive after all. Better yet, with the second part of Wicked already filmed and set to be released next November, the tears and emotion will likely come back again for another press tour.
Lyon Life 