Ariana Grande made sure that she and Cynthia Erivo were treated equally on 'Wicked.' During a conversation for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for the musical, Grande was asked about her relationship with Erivo, to which she explained that they started building trust long before they began filming because they were cast in 2021, and production didn't kick off until December 2022.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Ariana Grande made sure that she and Cynthia Erivo were treated equally on Wicked.
00:05During a conversation for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for the musical,
00:09Grande was asked about her relationship with Erivo, to which she explained that
00:12they started building trust long before they began filming because they were cast in 2021
00:18and production didn't kick off until December of 2022.
00:22During that time, we were really getting to know each other in a real human way.
00:25We talk a lot about this pact that we made to take care of each other
00:29and to be really honest with each other about anything that was to come up.
00:32But I don't think people really get how granular we got and how fully we mean that."
00:37She explained that when she got her contract,
00:39she called Erivo and suggested they go through it together.
00:42Let's go beat per beat through this together and make sure we are aligned in what we need.
00:46If we need something, we need it together. I want us to have each other's backs.
00:50Your problems become my problems, and mine become yours."
00:54She also talked about their unbreakable bond.
00:56It's impossible to really share the depths of how real that is.
01:00We started creating that long before we ever got to set,
01:03and I think it was a really important part of the work that we did.
01:06I'm really grateful because it's one of the things that I'm most proud of
01:09is how we nurtured each other."
01:10Grande's comments come after an online rumor circulated about how the artist was
01:14reportedly making $15 million for the film, while Erivo was only making $1 million.
01:20A Universal spokesperson shot this down,
01:22noting that the two women were paid the same salary for the film.
01:25For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:28And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.