Cyntha Erivo says Wicked's TRUE love story is between Elphaba & Glinda

This won't come as a surprise to fans of the musical, but one Wicked star says that the true love story central to the story is between Glinda and Elphaba.

Cynthia Erivo is the star of Wicked, coming to theaters this November 22, and also the cover star of this year's Out100!

In her cover story, where she talks about playing Elphaba, she spoke about what she sees as the film's central plot, and her thought was that there is a beautiful love story there.

According to Erivo, the relationship (and love story) between Elphaba and Glinda (played by Ariana Grande) is central to the musical and movie.

Erivo and Grande "understood each other and the journeys that we were going on; the conversations that we had were really just true, open, honest conversations," Erivo says of the two actors and the relationship between their characters. "I know for a fact that she understands [what] it feels like just to be isolated and to be alone and to feel that way and to feel like sometimes when you can try and try and try that you’re coming up against the brick wall."

Though Fiyero (played by Jonathan Bailey) is a romantic interest, the real love story is between the women following their initial rivalry, which Erivo says is "interesting because I’m not sure it is a competition."

"Both of them come from a place of insecurity. Glinda, yes, has privilege. She has been taught that her value is only to do with what she looks like and who she dates and the clothes she wears. For the first time with [Elphaba], it’s someone who sees her for more than all of those things."

Likewise, Elphaba sees herself through Glinda toward the end of "Popular" when the princess of pink's attempts at a full Elphaba makeover result in Glinda placing a simple pink poppy in the green woman's hair.

"They fall in love with the person, not just the outside. When Glinda puts that flower in her hair and realizes that all she needs is this tiny thing that goes 'good with green,' it is not just 'Oh, look, she has a flower in her hair.' It’s actually...I see you as beautiful as you are."

"The story of these two is really, really special. And I think that we underestimate the power of platonic love, true friendship, true love," Erivo adds.