Wicked star Cynthia Erivo makes mean jibe about actresses who lost role to Ariana Grande

Ahead of Wicked's release, Cynthia Erivo took aim at the auditionees that attempted to join her in the film as Glinda, a role which was eventually given to Ariana Grande

Cynthia Erivo has made harsh comments about her fellow auditionees for Wicked and she has recently shared what it's really like to be working with popstar Ariana Grande.

The new Jon M. Chu film has already made shockwaves on social media and is set to be released in the UK on November 22, 2024, with Cynthia Erivo taking the lead as Elphaba.

Many attempted to join the line-up and the Broadway star has recently shared her disappointment with her fellow auditionees for Wicked, adding that she was relieved when Ariana, 31, was given the role of Galinda.

Cynthia was first asked how she felt to be acting alongside the megastar and admitted she was surprised to get her role as she expected a white performer to outshine her.

During a chat with the New York Times, Cynthia, 37, first told the publication how she felt about the No Tears Left To Cry hitmaker, with a generous hint of relief: "Thank goodness, because it was not the two ladies that I was auditioning with."

Moving on to her reasons for believing she would be dismissed for the role in favour of a white actor, she added: "Historically, Black women have never really been seen for the role. If they have, they haven't gotten the role, and if they do, they usually are the alternate or first cover. There's only one woman I know on record that has done it on the West End (in London). So I just didn't think they were looking for me."

Since joining the cast of Wicked, the Luther actress has been able to develop a deep friendship with Ariana: "I think that was one of my most cherished parts of this experience: I felt held and like I had a friend every step of the way. I'm really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time."

Ariana was also able to bond with another co-star, Ethan Slater, as the pair have become Instagram official, after facing criticism over their romance. The couple made their red carpet debut during the premiere of Wicked in Australia, earlier in November, 2024.

The two started dating in 2023 after meeting when filming the movie adaptation of Wicked. However, their relationship received backlash after the two filed for divorce from their marriages. During the time of filming, Ariana was married to Dalton Gomez, and Ethan to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay.

Many social media users were sent into a frenzy as they discovered that Ethan had supposedly left Lilly shortly after the birth of their son in August, 2022. And while Ariana has tried to defend her relationship ever since, a statement by Lilly added fuel to the fire.

In a 2023 interview with Page Six, she notably said that her family felt like "collateral damage", before pointing Ariana Grande out as "not a girl's girl."

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