It was an emotional full-circle moment when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo sat down with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the two original Broadway witches, for a special Entertainment Weekly conversation.
What unfolded wasn’t a typical promotional interview but a heartfelt conversation filled with long pauses, knowing looks, and grateful embraces. Grande, who has worn her heart on her sleeve throughout the film’s promotional run, visibly choked up as she attempted to thank the pair who originated the iconic roles.
Grande recalled the moment she and Erivo learned they’d been cast, describing it through laughter and tears as “being so sopping, sobbing, snotty dolphins.” Chenoweth called the casting reveal “a very insanely surreal moment,” while Menzel said the experience still hits her in unexpected waves. As they all reflected on the legacy of Wicked, Chenoweth told the younger duo, “It is for us, too … what we did continues on.”
Erivo’s voice shook as she expressed gratitude to the original stars, saying: “Thank you so much for all the work you put in… you created something that allows us to have a dream come true.” Grande, struggling to steady herself, spoke about reconnecting with her younger self while making the film: “In a lot of ways … I grabbed [the little girl in me] by the hand and said, ‘Let’s go.’” The moment, quiet and tender, ended with everyone wiping tears and sharing hugs.
The emotion speaks to just how significant Wicked: Part One has been for its new stars. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, is currently premiering and will be released worldwide November 21 2025,. With Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the helm, anticipation for both parts of the adaptation has only grown — and so has the intensity of its press tour.
Ariana Grande, in particular, has famously been crying her way through interviews, fan events, and behind-the-scenes footage, openly acknowledging how overwhelming and meaningful the experience has been. On the final day of filming Part One, she was seen in tears as she admitted, “I need to call my therapist … This is a mess.”
That rawness has become part of the story. For Grande and Erivo, Wicked isn’t just a dream job — it’s something deeply personal, something almost sacred. Sitting across from Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the women who built the foundation they now stand on, only intensified that feeling.
As Chenoweth said, looking around the table at all three women wiping tears: “It’s all very emotional.”
