Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande they formed a close bond during their time working together on ‘Wicked’ and ‘Wicked: For Good’. This caused a lot of reactions online, with many of the netizens labeling Erivo as Grande’s “bodyguard”.However, looking at all the chatter, he points out that a lot of the backlash, including what happened at the red carpet promo event with Grande, is deeply rooted in racism.
Cynthia Erivo addresses the incident of Ariana Grande’s red carpet event
Erivo, speaking with Variety, finally addressed what happened with Ariana at the ‘Wicked: For Good’ event in Singapore. She said that no one was moving when the incident happened, which prompted her to react quickly, as the only thing on her mind was for the man to leave. “Nobody moved. Nobody moved. So I moved because my brain said, ‘Get him out! Get him out of here!’ … And what people couldn’t see is that he wasn’t letting go [of Grande]. He wouldn’t let go. So I kept pushing him to get rid of him.’ He also said that everyone was really scared because of what happened, “Because a stranger is a stranger. Personal space is still personal space. It doesn’t belong to anyone, even if you feel like you know that person.”However, online backlash following the incident angered Erivo, who he said was deeply rooted in racism. She commented, “I think we’ve misunderstood how we view black women with a sinister nature. And I’m sure people will read this and think, ‘Oh, unfortunately, it’s not about that.’ But it is. Because that’s what he was making fun of. It was my physique; it was my form; it was that I was bald; It was about how I looked.“He also added that because of all these factors, assumptions and terms were used to imply that he was somehow “bigger” than his co-star, and at the same time, he was the “controller or protector” of the scene. Erivo also added that “if it had been the other way around, I would have guessed that it would not be the same”.
Cynthia Erivo says she didn’t want to do an event on ‘Wicked: For Good’ because of the incident
The actor also mentioned that the online backlash and being tagged as his co-star’s bodyguard, among other things, had a negative impact on the film’s promotional events. He mentioned that the time had come when he wanted to completely stop doing such promotional events for ‘Wicked: For Good’. “I felt like my humanity was savaged,” she said in the interview, “I felt like it was something I did instinctively, because of the way people see women like me, and the assumptions that are made, and I really, really didn’t want to be a part of that. I didn’t want to let myself go. I didn’t think I deserved it.”
About ‘Wicked: For Good’ red carpet event
During the promotional tour for ‘Wicked: For Good’ in Singapore, the cast members were attending a red carpet event. However, while Grande and Erivo were walking the red carpet, a fan jumped over the barrier and grabbed the singer. However, Erivo, as well as other cast members and security personnel, quickly intervened and removed the man from the venue. The man was later identified as Johnson Wen. After the incident he was sentenced to 9 days in prison.
