Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are playing Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the upcoming Wicked film directed by Jon M. Chu, and since the pair are no strangers to performing live, they each insisted on ditching the pre-recordings.
"When we were shooting it, those girls were like, 'F**k the pre-records. We're going live,'" said Chu.
Erivo and the "Yes, And?" singer both have experience working on Broadway -- the former rose to prominence when starring in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple (for which she won a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical), while Grande was cast in the 2008 musical 13 when she was just 15 years old.
In a Vanity Fair interview, Chu also gushed about Grande's work ethic, which he said was one of the reasons why he was drawn to her and cast her to play Glinda.
"Every time she came in to audition, she'd be there at least 30 minutes early," the film director said. "I'd see her car circling. I'd be like, 'Who is that?' 'That's Ariana Grande.' 'Why is she here so early?'"
Ariana Grande's 'Wicked' Dreams Come True
According to E News, Grande has always expressed interest in starring in the critically acclaimed musical, so when she was cast in the film adaptation, the "7 Rings" hitmaker dropped everything and flew to London to shoot the film for months.
In fact, the film paused the "We Can't Be Friends" singer's music career because she wanted to focus solely on it.
"So, I was shooting and then doing lessons every day because I just wanted to be prepared for when the call came," Grande shared about her experience getting ready for Wicked.
Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Became Fast Friends
With their shared experience working on Broadway and the months they spent filming Wicked, Grande and Erivo became fast friends. In fact, the two got matching tattoos to remember their time filming -- they each got a poppy flower along the side of their hands and the phrase "For Good" on their palms.
"I just need to say that I don't think people realize that she's got the chops," Erivo told Vanity Fair. "I don't think people realize how brilliant this person's brain and voice and talent is."
Grande, for her part gushed that Erivo is her "favorite female voice" before revealing that she's long wanted to work together. "When I was watching you sing at the Oscars, I said, 'I hope someday I get to sing with her.'"
Erivo is an actress and singer who has received several top accolades, including a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Erivo has also garnered two Oscar nominations in 2019 when she was nominated for both Best Actress and Best Original Song for her movie Harriet.
Meanwhile, Grande has two Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and several MTV Video Music Awards.
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