Ariana Grande Renegotiates ‘Wicked’ Contract with Cynthia Erivo for Fairness and Equality

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Collaboration

Ariana Grande mentioned that she and Cynthia Erivo got together to discuss their Wicked contracts, aiming to create a level playing field.

• READ MORE: Angry Review: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Have Real Chemistry

Grande spoke at a live event hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, emphasizing the importance of parity with her co-star.

“We talk a lot about this pact that we made to take care of each other and to be really honest with each other about everything that’s coming our way,” Grande stated. “However, I don’t think people truly grasp how in-depth and sincere we are about it.

“When I received my contract, I called her and said, ‘Hey, let’s walk through this together. Let’s ensure we both agree on what we need. If there’s something you need, we need it together. I want us to have one another’s backs; your issues become my issues, and mine become yours.”

Support Against Cyberbullying

Ariana Grande says she and Cynthia Erivo reviewed their contracts together to make sure they both had what they needed: this together. pic.twitter.com/pDdbrdUb9k

— Ariana Grande Today ☼ (@ArianaToday) December 14, 2024

Recently, Erivo also defended Grande regarding the “cyberbullying” that her co-star faced after the film’s release.

“Cyberbullying is quite harmful,” she remarked, adding that “it’s all too easy to sit behind a screen and type hurtful words about someone you know nothing about” (via Diversity).

She expressed her intent to “be a counterpoint” to such negativity, stating: “Be the person who shares positivity. What an individual who has never met you thinks is never more significant than your own self-perception.”

Success of Wicked

Last year, Grande addressed fans’ “concerns” about her appearance, reminding them, “We need to be kinder and less comfortable making remarks about others’ bodies, regardless of the situation.”

Total worldwide ticket sales over the weekend reached $270 million (£214.6 million). Wicked marked the third-largest weekend of the year, following Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2, setting a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.

Wicked is set to hit UK and US theaters on November 22, and film executives are projecting it to be the biggest film of the year.

Grande’s song “Imperfect For You,” from her latest album “Eternal Sunshine,” was listed among NME‘s 50 best songs of 2024. NME referred to it as “an extraordinarily beautiful ballad with a touch of psychedelic soul,” noting that “it embodies the closest thing to a hidden gem from one of the year’s most prominent pop albums. Love has both the capacity to harm and to heal, and Ariana Grande embodies both with immense grace.”