Torrents of tears, hugs, emotion… Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo give everything to promote the musical Wickedin theaters on December 4 in France. And the result is worth it. Not only is the film already released in the United States a success, but the interviews with the actresses have gone viral on social networks.
The tears shed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo during most of the interviews, widely spread on social networks, have even become a reason for discussion and, at times, ridicule.
If many Internet users seem moved by the emotion of the two actresses, others are more critical and describe these interviews as “shameful.”
viral sequence
One of these interviews, in particular, became a meme. Tracy E. Gilchrist, a journalist for an LGBT media outlet, explains to the two actresses how people appropriate the lyrics of the song. Defying gravity and hold on to it. “I didn’t know it was like that,” answers Cynthia Erivo, very moved.
It was the expression used by the journalist – “holding space”, which here can be translated as “hold on” – that gave the scene its virality.
He even explained it to Variety, stressing that he had done this interview just after the election of Donald Trump, particularly hostile towards the LGBT community. “For me, “enduring” is hearing these words again and finding comfort or inspiration in them.”
Tears and little finger
A little overwhelmed by the amount of reaction this sequence has generated, Tracy E. Gilchrist notes, “Of course, there are cynics and naysayers, but I try not to pay too much attention to it.”
Many on TikTok stream this excerpt and have fun with the expression “hold space,” which sounds strange in the context of a song. Some people make sketches of it, taking the expression literally. In English, “Holding space” literally means “to hold the place.” Dozens of videos on TikTok depict, often quite comically, this famous “waiting space for Defying Gravity.”
Internet users are also very amused by the attitude of Ariana Grande, who, in this same interview, grabs Cynthia Erivo’s little finger to support her.
There are also many videos circulating showing Ariana Grande on the verge of tears or crying during interviews. Some have been viewed several hundred thousand times on X and TikTok.
Scarves and helicopter.
In another sequence, he comforts Cynthia Erivo, again very emotional, and as a helicopter flies overhead, she bids her farewell. Other interviews also end with the interviewer and the actresses crying, exchanging tissues.
Crying in interviews has even become a theme in itself for actresses. “Today we cried at least 100 times, I’m sorry,” Ariana Grande said during an interview, when she was about to shed another tear. “We can’t do anything about it, we don’t do it on purpose,” adds Cynthia Erivo.
For this film, Universal invested a lot in marketing. Actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, but also actors Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey gave numerous interviews. And the studios have partnered with more than 400 brands for spin-off products. Even the Empire State Building was decorated in the colors of the film’s two heroines, pink and green.
Premiering on November 22 in the United States, the musical got off to a dazzling start. With $114 million in revenue, Jon Chu’s film is off to the best start for a feature film adapted from a Broadway musical.
Created by Stephen Schwartz in 2003, the musical Wicked is both a prequel and a rewrite of the wizard of oz.
Source: BFM TV
