Cynthia Erivo calls out cyberbullying of Ariana Grande: 'a person you don't know anything about'

The Emmy, Tony, and Grammy award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo recently opened up about her experiences on Wicked, delving into the complexities of portraying Elphaba and addressing cyberbullying, particularly of her co-star Ariana Grande.

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Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival, the Out100 Icon of the Year described working on the film as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "A dream come true is very special, but to know you had a dream come true with people you love is extra special," she said, according to Variety.

Reflecting on portraying Elphaba as a Black woman, Erivo highlighted the deeper significance of the role.

"I wanted to imbue this character with the person underneath and the proudness I feel about being a Black woman," the actress told Variety. "The green stands for every person who feels othered. There is a layer of who I am underneath, and Black women walk into spaces that are not necessarily welcoming. It was important to tell that story and have that as a layer, and I was lucky enough to have a director who allowed me to tell that story. That scene when she is told that the green is a problem? Those tears were real. It comes from my understanding of what it feels like to feel that. I cannot tell that story without sharing those emotions."

Erivo also addressed the challenges of online negativity, particularly the cyberbullying her Grande has endured. "It is easy to be behind the computer typing words about a person you don’t know anything about," she said.

Erivo also revealed the technical challenges she faced while performing the iconic song "Defying Gravity."

"I was flying on a harness, so I had no ground under me. I had to physically find where to put the sound and imagine a ground under me to push against and make the bigger sounds," she explained. "If you have a corset on, you can't use your diaphragm, so I had to replace the breath and use this imaginary ground to make the sounds."

Cynthia Erivo continues to breathe new life into the iconic story of Wicked, proving why she is one of the most decorated talents of her generation.

Wicked is now playing in theaters.