Cynthia Erivo reveals she and Ariana Grande both contracted Covid while filming 'Wicked'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Cynthia Erivo and her co-star Ariana Grande both contracted Covid-19 while filming the musical ‘Wicked’.
During her recent interview with The New York Times, Erivo shared, “There was one time when I got Covid, there was another time when she got Covid.”
“We only got sick once each, but both were before some of the most important works of the whole movie. I came to set with a mask on my final days of recovery… no one liked this joke but I loved it so I’ll tell it: We were in the dorm room together and I sang in her ear, ‘Positive, you’re going to be positive!’ But I wasn’t positive anymore, don’t worry! I took the test,” she added.
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Why did the shooting of 'Wicked' musical get delayed?
Speaking about the 2023 Hollywood actors' strike that delayed ‘Wicked’, Cynthia Erivo said, “At first, it felt like an interruption, and then as it went on, it felt like the rest we needed.”
“We’d worked ourselves to the bone. I was really grateful because the next thing that we had to do [until the strike happened] was ‘Defying Gravity,’ and it felt like the universe going, ‘You need your full strength to do this,’” she added.
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Emotional Ariana Grande then said, “It was funny though because no matter how much time passed, the second we got back into those clothes, the characters were right there with us.”
“We cried every minute, every hour. We both were in a horrible state for a few days,” the ‘7 Rings’ singer said, according to People.
Erivo and Grande were emotional about their characters even after finishing the shooting. “I still fiercely love her,” said the senior singer.
“Me too. We brought our corsets home and our shoes and our wands. I still have all of my wigs,” Grande joined.
Who else features in 'Wicked'?
'Wicked: Part One' is all set to hit theaters on November 22. Meanwhile, its sequel will be out on November 26, 2025.
The musical is adapted by Holzman and Dana Fox and also stars Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Ethan Slater as Boq, Peter Dinklage as the voice of Dr Dillamond and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
