Cynthia Erivo Calls Friendship With Ariana Grande a Double-Edged Sword

Cynthia Erivo called her close bond with Ariana Grande a “double-edged sword” during an interview with The Guardian, addressing widespread public scrutiny of their off-screen friendship. The actress stated that people acted like “amateur psychologists” while studying the pair during press tours for their feature film adaptations.

Erivo Addresses Critics of Her Emotional Bond

She found it strange that observers felt annoyed that two women could actually be friends. The 39-year-old actress noted that critics questioned whether their emotional bond was real, expressing confusion over why they laughed, cried, and remained emotive together. She quoted critics questioning why they were connected and asking how they dared to cry, laugh, be emotive, and stay alive. Erivo also noted that a relationship where people are connected sometimes makes people uncomfortable because people are not taught that such relationships are good for them.

Erivo addressed rumors regarding the nature of their connection during a separate interview with The Stylist, noting that people initially struggled to understand how two women could be close friends without being lovers. Erivo stated that if they had stayed dead behind the eyes and shown no emotion, critics would have found something else to discuss. She remarked that it would have been helpful if someone had instructed them on how to properly balance their emotional expression, specifying a desire for someone to tell them the proper amount of emotion to show without displaying too much or too little.

Defending the Wicked Co-Stars

The friendship blossomed off-screen while working on the two-part film adaptation. Erivo portrayed Elphaba while Grande played Glinda in the cinematic releases. Beyond the press tour commentary, Erivo also spoke about defending her co-star from intrusive behavior and cyberbullying.

Erivo stepped in during an event when a man approached Grande, prompting Erivo to move him away and put her arm around her co-star. Her immediate response to the incident was to demand that the man be taken away immediately. Erivo later addressed onlookers who labeled her a protector or bodyguard, explaining that she merely performed a human action that any friend would do, and expressed frustration that people assumed she would act that way because of her appearance rather than recognizing it as a normal human gesture. Erivo also condemned cyberbullying during an appearance at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, calling online harassment dangerous and criticizing the normalization of tearing individuals apart online. She described it as easy for people to hide behind computers and type, and stated that the commentary disrespected her humanity while calling it crazy to rip a person to shreds for engaging in a naturally human activity.

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