Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will not be interviewed at the New York premiere of Wicked: For Good on Monday night.
“Due to Cynthia being unwell and unable to speak, she and Ariana will not be available for interviews tonight,” a representative for Universal told media outlets hours before the carpet opening at Lincoln Center.
Variety has learned that Grande decided to skip the interview in solidarity with Erivo. The two still plan to take photos on the carpet.
Co-stars Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Colman Domingo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and director Jon M. Chu are expected to attend the premiere.
Sadly, this is another unexpected hiccup in the ‘Wicked: For Good’ world promotional tour. Grande was unable to attend her first premiere in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 4 due to mechanical problems with her plane. Last week, Grande was grabbed by a man who jumped over a barricade and landed on the carpet in Singapore, prompting Erivo to take action to shove the man away from her co-star.
On Saturday, Erivo spoke about their “Wicked” journey in a conversation hosted by Variety’s Clayton Davis. “We’ve been through terrible things,” she said. “I mean, even last week was crap, let’s be honest.”
Erivo and Grande attended the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Erivo presented Debbie Allen with an honorary Oscar. Grande walked the red carpet and spoke with members of the press, including Variety magazine.
“For Good” will be released a year after the first “Wicked” movie was released. “Wicked” earned more than $746 million in ticket sales worldwide and was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Picture for Grande and Erivo.
In the second and final film, Elphaba (Erivo) continues the Wicked Witch of the West’s crusade to defeat the Wizard (Goldblum). Meanwhile, Glinda (Grande) is becoming more popular as she prepares to marry Fiyero (Bailey).
“Wicked: For Good” will be released on November 21st.
