Cynthia Erivo Explains Why She And Ariana Grande Won't Star In Broadway's 'Wicked'

The enchanting first part of the two-part Wicked movie adaptation became a box office smash, allowing its two leads, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, to defy gravity and reach new career heights.

Wicked is a musical loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an origin story for the iconic characters in L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its 1939 Hollywood screen adaptation.

Because of Wicked's enormous success, fans speculated its two stars could revisit their movie roles on the Broadway stage for a limited time, a fitting natural progression.

After all, Grande, who plays Galinda and Tony-winner Erivo, who plays Elphaba, both come from theatrical backgrounds with Broadway credits.

However, Erivo shut down rumors of the pair reprising their Wicked roles on Broadway any time in the foreseeable future.

“That’s not going to happen. Neither one of us has time," Erivo told Deadline.

The 37-year-old explained:

"We have another film ['Wicked: Part Two'] to put out. And also there are other ladies who need the chance."

"We’ve had our chance. I’ve had my chance, and I’m very grateful for it. Doing that would feel a little bit selfish."

"I understand where the idea comes from, but we’ve done it. We had this [the film].”

People praised Erivo for her unselfish response.

Some fans suggested other options so their fanboy/girl wishes could come true.

The future remains unlimited for Erivo.

She teased that she and Grande, who've become besties throughout the entire experience from filming to promoting Wicked, might have a little surprise up their sleeve next.

“We have an inkling of what we’re doing next. I can’t say because we can’t tell anyone," said Erivo, adding:

"There are some really cool things and I’m having some really lovely meetings with people. And I’m very excited. I have choice, which is nice.”

Erivo remained cryptic about the prospective project, calling the choices "cool because none of them are the same.”

One thing fans can count on is seeing Wicked: Part 2 in theaters next year on November 21.

As for the first film, Jon M. Chu directed the second half of the film, which is currently in post-production.

Chu arrived at the decision to split the adaptation written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox into two parts to avoid compromising the length of Stephen Schwartz's iconic score and to further explore the complex characters' relationships and their respective journeys.

Schwartz also revealed he wrote two new songs for the upcoming film, a solo for each of the two main characters.

Principle filming for Part 2 began alongside Part 1 in December 2022 and was paused in July 2023 when it was nearly completed due to the drawn-out SAG-AFTRA strike. Production on both films resumed on January 24, 2024, and wrapped on January 26.