It’s safe to say that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been changed for good after starring in the Wicked films.
The actresses both took to social media to bid fond farewells to their beloved characters Elphaba and Glinda following the official release of the musical’s second installment, Wicked: For Good.
Erivo posted a collection of behind-the-scenes images from her time shooting the two-part movie musical, including photos of her walking down the yellow brick road, posing with all of her costars, and soaring through the air on a broom.
“I could write you an essay, a poem, Shakespearean prose, to describe what this journey has meant to me, what lessons this time has taught me, bought me,” she captioned the post. “I could try to give a metric to the love I have felt and experienced. I could give a number to the stories I have heard. The truth is the numbers are too small and the words are not enough.”
Erivo continued, “So I’ll simply say this. Take my hand and walk with me to the end of this road paved with gold and hopefully, the things that I’ve found, might find you too. Thank you for letting me be your Elphaba. All my love, C.”
In the comments section, the official Wicked movie account responded, “Words cannot describe how thankful we are to you, our ever-enchanting Elphaba 💚.”
Grande celebrated her character Glinda in her own post, which similarly featured behind-the-scenes snapshots of her inspecting her character’s many pink gowns, posed outside of her trailer, and holding Glinda’s wand.
“Thank you, my sweet Glinda, for everything,” she wrote. “I will love you always … Wicked: For Good is out now.”
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The Wicked film account took a moment to praise Grande in her post’s comment section, too. “Thank you for being our dazzling Glinda 💕,” it shared. “You’ve changed us all for good.”
In addition to their posts, the Wicked account also shared extra footage of Grande and Erivo hugging, giggling, dancing, and even tackling each other on the Wicked: For Good set. “A friendship that changed us all for good 🫶,” it wrote.
The second installment of the Wicked film series, Wicked: For Good follows the ever-changing relationship between Elphaba and Glinda as they step into their roles as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, series director Jon M. Chu revealed that the success of the first film — which was nominated for 10 Oscars — had a direct impact on how they put together its sequel.
“When initially planning these two movies, you don’t know how people are going to take it,” he said at the time. “You’re like, ‘Well, they’re going to want the fun and the dance in movie two, so we got to make sure it is light and bubbly. But [For Good] is not a light and bubbly story. Things have shattered.”
He continued, “You’re planning and plotting like, ‘Okay, we’re going to keep some of [the fun and dancing].’ ‘You got to do this and that.’ But as soon as that first movie came out, we realized, ‘We don’t need any of that s—.’ The audience is in and they want the characters to grow. It gave me a lot of freedom, actually, because now I could sit in that silence. Now I know I don’t have to sugarcoat some of those moments.”