Cynthia Erivo addresses meme fest and social media chatter around her friendship with Ariana Grande
Los Angeles, May 28
Hollywood actress Cynthia Erivo, who became the focal point of memes during the 'Wicked: For Good' press tour, has now spoken up about the same.
The actress became the subject of a barrage of memes on her friendship and allegedly over-protective nature towards her co-star Ariana Grande, reports 'Variety'.
She told 'Variety', "I think that people didn't really believe that we were actually friends. But that's also because people don't know me very well. If I'm a friend, then I'm a friend. If I'm not, then I'm not".
She said the two still text almost every day. While much of the coverage of the incident praised her fast reflexes, it also prompted jokes, memes and TikTok videos portraying Erivo as Grande's "bodyguard".
She further mentioned, "I think that we haven't really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women. And I'm sure people will read this and think, 'Oh, for goodness' sake, it's not about that'. But it is. Because that's what was being made fun of. It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the fact that I was bald, it was about what I looked like. And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role. I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around".
As per 'Variety', 'Wicked: For Good' was snubbed by the Academy across the board. The Oscars campaign window goes on for a "long time", particularly in the post-Covid era, when the ceremony is often pushed into mid-March.
She said, "If it was a shorter stint of time, there is less potential for things to turn sour, and also there's more energy to keep it going".
At the beginning of this year, while Oscar campaigning was in full swing, Erivo went into rehearsals for 'Dracula'.
"I guess it's like a reemerging again, putting my feet back on the ground again", she said of returning to the West End. "Because 'Wicked' was its own storm in a teacup. It took over everything and, beautifully, changed my life".
Considering the success of the franchise, and the fact that Elphaba survives, there's inevitably been chatter about a third movie.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who grew up watching Hollywood from India, I agree with Cynthia. We in India also have this tendency to reduce strong women to caricatures - especially when they don't fit the typical "feminine" mold. Whether it's a female politician or a celebrity, we love making memes about their appearances. Time we all do better. Ariana and Cynthia seem like real friends - that's beautiful to see. 💜
I think Cynthia is overthinking this a bit. Memes are just memes - people found the dynamic funny, not necessarily racist. But I get her point about how Black women are often portrayed as aggressive or overprotective. That said, the friendship between her and Ariana seems sweet. Just wish she didn't make everything about race when it's probably just internet humor.
Honestly, I loved watching their chemistry during the Wicked press tour! 😍 The way Cynthia would gently guide Ariana away from difficult questions or step in to adjust her mic - that's what real friends do. In our Indian film industry too, we see co-stars protecting each other all the time. Why make it weird just because they're both women and one has a buzz cut? Let them be friends, yaar!
The Oscars snub for Wicked is actually criminal. 🎭 That movie was a masterpiece and Cynthia's performance as Elphaba was phenomenal. But honestly, the fact that she's now back doing stage work in London's West End shows her dedication to the craft. Broadway to West End - that's the dream for any theatre artist. Hope she wins awards on her own terms, not because of some Hollywood campaign politics.
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