Cynthia Erivo has criticised fans who felt "annoyed" by her friendship with Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
The British actress, 39, grew close with the American singer, 33, while the pair promoted the 2024 big screen musical and its 2025 sequel.
Backlash to public displays of friendship
Their lengthy press tours produced many talked-about moments, from discussions of the pair "holding space" for each other to Erivo jumping in to protect Grande from a TikTok prankster. Some fans speculated that there was something fake or darker behind the intense friendship.
In a new interview, Erivo, who last week hosted Saturday Night Live UK, spoke about the backlash to their public displays of friendship, noting that "it was interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches".
Erivo on the criticism
"There was this weird sort of, what's the word I'm looking for… annoyance… at the fact that two women could actually be friends," Erivo told The Guardian. "Like, 'Why are they friends? Why are they connected? There must be something wrong with them.'"
She continued: "'Why are they showing emotion? How dare they cry? And how dare they laugh? And how dare they be emotive and alive?'"
Erivo explained that it was a "double-edged sword", saying: "Because if we were dead behind the eyes and showing no emotion, there would have been something else to say about it."
"I wish there was someone who could have been like, 'Right, this is the proper balance of emotion that you should show. Don't show this. Don't show that. Just this amount.'"
Viral moments on the press tour
While there were far fewer viral moments on the second leg of the press tour while promoting Wicked: For Good, the pair added to their catalogue of affectionate, and occasionally eccentric, press-tour interactions.
One of the most viral moments was the discussion of "holding space", in which Grande and Erivo clutched each other's fingers. Reflecting on the moment last year, Erivo described it as "an innocent moment of confusion and human reaction".
She then spoke about fans wanting to recreate the moment, to which she replied: "I hate it. I don't want anyone holding my finger."
