Cynthia Erivo is sure to be "Popular" after this red carpet interview.
On Sunday, Feb. 27, the 35-year-old actress, who is nominated for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha at the 2022 SAG Awards, caught up with Laverne Cox on the Live From E!: SAG Awards pre-show. And, during the exclusive interview, Erivo gave a much-needed update for the Wicked movie, in which she's playing Elphaba to Ariana Grande's Glinda.
"It's about learning the music, learning the story, finding our own sort of way through it," she said of preparations for the film. "Ariana and I have been meeting and chatting and talking and building our own relationship. Because we know that it's a sisterhood. We both want to be ready and prepared to be there for one another."
Though production has yet to kick off, Erivo confirmed that she and 28-year-old Grande are ready to begin this journey, adding, "We're ready to rehearse and get into it!"
And there's no unadulterated loathing between these two soon-to-be co-stars, as Erivo had nothing but gush-worthy things to say about the "positions" artist. "It was the most delightful thing ever," Erivo shared on first meeting Grande. "We sat for, like three hours on the floor of my house and just chatted and talked about everything."
Back in November, Universal Pictures announced that the Broadway superstar and the pop icon would be starring opposite one another in the big screen adaptation of the hit musical Wicked. Amid the casting news, Grande revealed that Erivo sent her flowers and a note, that read, "'Pink goes good with green.' Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you, I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you."
The "7 rings" singer responded in kind, sending the Harriet actress white and green flowers, writing, "Dear Cynthia, honored doesn't even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz."
Thank goodness for these two!
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)