Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande faced an uphill task while filming "Wicked," and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic certainly didn't ease their burden. During an interview with The New York Times published on Wednesday, November 6, the 37-year-old Erivo shared, "There was one instance when I caught Covid, and another time when she did." Grande, 31, echoed this, revealing that each actress fell ill just days before they were scheduled to film their most significant musical numbers. Erivo, portraying Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, was set to belt out the climactic "Defying Gravity," while Grande, as Glinda the Good Witch, had the bubbly "Popular" on her plate.
"We each got sick just once, but both instances happened right before some of the film's most pivotal moments," Grande, known for her hit "Yes, And?," said. Recalling her experience filming "Popular," she added, "I arrived on set still wearing a mask during my final days of recovery... I made a joke that nobody liked, but I loved it: We were in the dorm room together, and I whispered in her ear, 'Positive, you're going to be positive!' But don't worry, I tested negative. I took the test."
For Erivo, catching COVID the week prior to shooting "Defying Gravity" felt like a cosmic message: "It was as if the universe was saying, 'Sit down, Cynthia, not yet.'"
The screen adaptation of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Tony-winning Broadway musical, directed by Jon M. Chu (based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel "Wicked," a revisionist prequel set in L. Frank Baum's Oz), was further delayed by the 2023 Hollywood actors strike, as confirmed by Erivo and Grande to The Times.
"Initially, it felt like an interruption, but as time went on, it felt like the rest we desperately needed," Erivo recalled. "We had pushed ourselves to our limits. I was genuinely grateful because our next scene was 'Defying Gravity,' and it felt like the universe was telling us, 'You need all your strength for this.'"
"It was hilarious because no matter how much time passed, once we put those costumes back on, the characters were instantly with us," Grande said, her voice tinged with emotion when discussing wrapping up filming and bidding farewell to Glinda. "We cried every minute, every hour. We were both in a terrible state for days."
Erivo admitted to being "devastated" after finishing her role as Elphaba, adding, "I still love her deeply." Grande nodded in agreement, "Me too." She continued, "We took our corsets, shoes, and wands home. I still have all my wigs."
"Wicked: Part One" hits theaters on November 22, while "Wicked: Part Two" is scheduled for November 26, 2025. Adapted by Holzman and Dana Fox, the films also star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Ethan Slater as Boq, Peter Dinklage as the voice of Dr. Dillamond, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
