Credit: Out Magazine
Entertainment Ariana Grande Cynthia Erivo Film Wicked

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo reveal why they always touch each other in Wicked interviews

They love to randomly grab a hand or finger

Ellissa Bain
2nd December 2024, 16:45
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The second Wicked film is finally here and everyone’s social media is still flooded with videos from the press tour of the century, round two.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have done so many interviews over the past month and they all have the same thing in common – the intense touching.

The pair, who play witches Elphaba and Glinda in the hit musical, are really touchy-feely with each other and everyone is wondering why.

Well, it’s actually Ariana who always touches her co-star. Cynthia never instigates it, but always lets Ari touch her at random moments.

Explaining why she does it on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast this week, Ariana said: “I channel a lot of energy through my hands. And so I’m always holding a hand. I’m always, like, squeezing a something, as you’ve learned. I’m always reaching for something sometimes.”

She said she always squeezes “who I’m with,” adding: “Yeah, I like to channel support and energy….I didn’t even notice that it was a thing about me until that thing happened.”

People first picked up on it during that famous “holding space” interview where Ariana bizarrely reached out and held one of Cynthia’s fingers.

Explaining the famous moment , Ariana said: “Yeah, because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on,” Grande admitted. She said she did it because “I just wanted to be supportive. I was like, oh my God. And it felt sweet. It felt beautiful. And it was beautiful.”

@comfortarianaa

oh my heart :’) physical touch girlies rise #arianagrande #cynthiaerivo #wickedmovie #wicked #fyp

♬ sun and moon – mage tears

In an interview last year, Cynthia revealed that Ariana needs physical touch when she starts feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

“Ari needs contact when there’s emotion,” she said. “She needs to be close, so I just be there for a second.”

Ariana has dreamed of appearing in Wicked for her entire life, so it’s no surprise that she gets emotional while talking about her role as Glinda.

Exactly 13 years ago this month, she tweeted: “Loved seeing Wicked again… amazing production! Made me realise again how badly I wanted to play Glinda in my life!”

The 31-year-old, who was just 18 at the time, ended the post with the hashtag “#DreamRole” – and her dream finally came true this year.

Ariana just needs a little bit of support from her co-star during those “pinch me” moments, and that’s exactly what Cynthia gives her.

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Featured image by: Out Magazine