Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande tell LGBTQ youth rejected by parents: ‘You deserve love’
Exclusive: "You can find family, even if they aren’t blood family," Cynthia tells Attitude, as Ari agrees: "Don't be afraid to outgrow people"
Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have shared beautiful messages of love and support for LGBTQ people facing prejudice in an exclusive interview with Attitude.
The prequel to The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Elphaba, who’s rejected by her father and bullied by her peers for being ‘other’.
Asked what they hope LGBTQ youth facing such hardship take away from Wicked, Cynthia replied: “You can find family, even if they aren’t blood family. People who will love you for who you are, the way you’re meant to be loved.”
“Don’t be afraid to outgrow those people” – Ariana Grande
Ariana, who plays Glinda the Good Witch, a devoted ally to Elphaba, added: “Yes ma’am. Don’t be afraid to outgrow those people. Because there will be people, like Glinda, who say: ‘No. There’s no room for that bullying, or that type of bullshit here. This is a beautiful person.’
“You’ll find your chosen family, your real family. You deserve to be here. Oz is so full of queerness and celebration and beautiful differences – and so is Earth.”
“Defy the expectations of other people” – Cynthia Erivo
Oscar-nominee Cynthia furthermore added: “What this film says about those who feel different, othered, pushed aside – all those things that make them different are really special. They do deserve love, they deserve to rise above it all. They deserve to defy the expectations of other people. And that the people who don’t have the space to love them aren’t for them.”
Truer words never spoken!
Cynthia came out publicly as bisexual in 2022. Other LGBTQ Wicked cast members include Jonathan Bailey (who plays Fiyero), Bowen Yang (who plays Pfannee of Phan Hall) and Bronwyn James (who plays ShenShen).
Wicked hits UK cinemas tomorrow (Friday 22 November 2024).