Cynthia Erivo has revealed she used ‘psychological tricks’ when working with Ariana Grande on the set of Wicked.
The pair play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South respectively, in the movie adaptation of the hit book and Broadway musical.
Speaking about the filming process on The Graham Norton Show, which will air on Friday night, Cynthia detailed the struggles she and Ariana faced.
Talking about singing live while doing amazing high wire stunts, she says, ‘It took a lot of training.
‘Normally when you sing a big song you are grounded by the floor beneath you, but in a harness and a corset you have to find where the breath needs to be. It took a lot of physical and psychological tricks.’
On her instant bond with Ariana, the Good hitmaker added: ‘We only got together once we knew we were doing it. The first time we sang we realised our voices work so well together.’
Cynthia Erivo revealed the ‘psychological tricks’ she used with Ariana Grande on the set of Wicked during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show, which will air on Friday night
Cynthia and Ariana play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South respectively, in the movie adaptation of the hit book and Broadway musical
Cynthia concluded: ‘It’s been three years in the making, so now I get to talk about it. I am very, very happy it is out.’
She made her comments after Wicked fans were left shocked by the initial casting for her role as Elphaba.
This week, it was revealed that when British filmmaker Stephen Daldry was set to direct the spectacle, he had big plans to cast Lady Gaga as Elphaba and Shawn Mendes as Fiyero.
The Born This Way singer even met with the production team multiple times to discuss her take on the character.
‘They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] was essentially cast in his version, and then it fell through,’ an insider revealed to Page Six.
But Stephen’s vision never came to be – he left the project in 2020 due to scheduling conflicts.
Jon M. Chu then took over as director and reimagined the cast, ultimately bringing Cynthia on as Elphaba, Ariana as Glinda the Good Witch, and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero.
The cast proved to be a perfect fit for their roles, as DailyMail’s Brian Viner puts it: ‘Chu and the writers have enormous fun and are superbly served by the cast: Erivo and Grande are both pitch-perfect and altogether sensational.’
He added: ‘{Michelle] Yeoh, Bailey and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard offer splendid support.’
Talking about singing live while doing high wire stunts, she said: ‘In a harness and a corset you have to find where the breath needs to be. It took a lot of physical and psychological tricks’
Cynthia appeared on the show with Nicole Kidman, James Norton, Chris McCausland, Benson Boone and host Graham Norton
Cynthia recently opened up about the ‘hard’ and ‘vulnerable’ conversations she and Ariana shared before working together on Wicked.
‘I’ve gained a sister,’ she said in Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood portfolio. ‘At this point, we speak almost every day. Both of us were blown away by how connected we were immediately.’
‘I remember the first day we got to come together. It was at [director] Jon M. Chu’s house, and Stephen Schwartz [who wrote Wicked’s music and lyrics for both the OG Broadway musical and the film] was over.
‘He played some songs for us, and we sang together for the first time. It worked. It was one of the most gratifying things to know that there was someone who was that open and available, because she was, and that meant I could be as well.
‘We also had a beautiful relationship offscreen.’
Wicked is out in cinemas now.
The Graham Norton Show airs Friday at 10.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Cynthia recently opened up about the ‘hard’ and ‘vulnerable’ conversations she and Ariana shared before working together on Wicked (pictured at the Los Angeles premiere this month)
