A spokesperson from Universal clarified, “The rumors about Cynthia and Ariana being paid unequally are not true and just made-up stories from the internet.”
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were paid the same for their roles in Wicked.
The rumors about Cynthia and Ariana being paid differently are completely untrue and just internet gossip. Both actresses received equal pay for their work on the movie.
A Universal spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday,Advertisement
Sources close to the production also confirmed to THR that the two stars were paid the same for the musical directed by Jon M. Chu.
This week, rumors about Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s pay started spreading on TikTok and Reddit. People online claimed Ariana got $15 million for the movie, while Cynthia only got $1 million. These unproven rumors caught the attention of some news outlets, which made the situation even more talked about.
Wicked is based on Gregory Maguire’s popular book and tells the story of the witches of Oz before The Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba, and Ariana Grande plays Glinda. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the stage version, worked on the movie’s script with Dana Fox. Stephen Schwartz, who won an Oscar for his work, adapted the music for the film. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and Bowen Yang.
See More: ‘Wicked’ Charts Massive Weekend: 3rd-Biggest U.S. Premiere Of 2024—Breaking Broadway Film Record
The Wicked co-stars have talked a lot about how much they enjoy working together, both in the movie and in real life, during their busy press tour. They’ve also shared that they’d love to perform on Broadway again someday—hopefully together!
The second part of Wicked is set to release on November 21, 2025. The first part ends with the song “Defying Gravity,” which is the big finale of Act I in the Broadway show and leads into the two-part movie story.
Director Jon M. Chu told The Hollywood Reporter that splitting the movie into two parts felt like the right choice.
We needed that space, I think we created a great balance with it.
he said
Wicked is doing amazing at the box office! On Monday, it made $15.8 million, setting a new record for a musical and beating Frozen 2’s $12.7 million from 2019. Before that, the movie earned over $160 million worldwide during its opening weekend.
Source: THR