Ariana Grande took every step she could to ensure she and Cynthia Erivo were treated equally on Wicked.
The singer-songwriter spoke to Jessica Shaw for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation about the record-breaking big-screen adaptation of the musical. When asked about her relationship with Erivo, 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.
“During that time, we were really getting to know each other in a real human way,” she said. “We talk a lot about this pact that we made to take care of each other and to be really honest with each other about anything that was to come up, but I don’t think people really get how granular we got and how fully we mean that.”
She explained that when she got her contract, she called Erivo and suggested they go through it together.
“‘Let’s go beat per beat through this together and make sure we are aligned in what we need,’” Grande recalled telling her co-star. “‘If need something, we need it together. I want us to have each other’s backs. Your problems become my problems and mine become yours.’”
The Don’t Look Up actress explained they also showed up for each other in very real ways that no press tour or social media video can portray.
“It’s impossible to really share the depths of how real that is,” she noted. “We started creating that long before we ever got to set, and I think it was a really important part of the work that we did. I’m really grateful because it’s one of the things that I’m most proud of is how we nurtured each other.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, the “we can’t be friends” singer praised director Jon M. Chu and how his brilliance as a filmmaker and person gave them even more space to always hit their marks.
“What a human being he is to have it feel like such a safe space. This is like a bajillion-dollar movie, and it felt like a little quiet student project, and we were like kids with our laptops and our costumes, and we could just play, and it just was the safest and most trusting environment.”
Grande’s comments come after an online rumor circulated about how “the boy is mine” artist was reportedly making $15 million for the film, while her on-screen counterpart was only making $1 million. A Universal spokesperson shot this down, noting that the two women were paid the same salary for the film.
Wicked became the biggest box office launch of all time for a Broadway adaptation when it hit theaters on Nov. 22. Part two of the musical movie is set to hit theaters Nov. 21, 2025.
