Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play Glinda and Elphaba respectively in Universal’s big-screen adaptation of the popular musical ‘Wicked’, recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about their future aspirations, including returning to the stage together for ‘Aida’ and embracing their performing powers.
The ‘Wicked’ stars revealed they are ready to take on another musical project together, expressing their enthusiasm for continuing collaborations.
The idea of owning one’s power seems especially relevant to Universal’s ‘Wicked’, which tells the story of a young witch who masters her magic to “defy gravity.”
While the musical inspires audiences to embrace their uniqueness, it also contains powerful messages about empathy, standing up for what is right, and empowering marginalized communities. The cast shared their hopes for what audiences will take away from the film.
“I mean, to me, one of the most important themes, I think is empathy, having the ability to change,” Grande said. “I hope that people will see it and be forced to look outside themselves and maybe look at how they can have their — I say this all the time — but have their ‘bubble popped’ by the people in their lives and how they can become better. I think you can always become more and more good, and empathy is one of the themes that I think is most important.”
“And I think that for those who feel othered, feel different, don’t feel like they fit, hopefully, this movie tells them that they do belong, that their difference is what makes them special,” added Erivo. “And that for those who find it difficult to navigate those who are different, to find it difficult to connect, just to be open. And also hopefully people are empowered to do things that are outside of themselves that allow them to soar above people’s expectations.”
‘Wicked’ arrives in theaters on November 22nd.
