London, UK - Cynthia Erivo reflected on fans' reactions to her friendship with Ariana Grande amid their Wicked press tour run.
During her interview with The Guardian, the British singer-actor looked back at the strong response to the co-stars' off-screen bond while they promoted Wicked and Wicked: For Good.
"It was interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches," Cynthia said.
She continued, "There was this weird sort of, what's the word I'm looking for, annoyance, at the fact that two women could actually be friends."
“Like, 'Why are they friends? Why are they connected? There must be something wrong with them. Why are they showing emotion? How dare they cry? And how dare they laugh? And how dare they be emotive and alive?'" the 39-year-old expressed.
Cynthia Erivo defends actions during "terrifying" Singapore incident
Cynthia, who gave a surprise duet with Ari during the Eternal Sunshine tour, also addressed the November 2025 incident at the Singapore premiere for the Wicked sequel.
The Defying Gravity artist stepped in front of the Petal hitmaker when an erratic fan tried to approach the Petal hitmaker on the red carpet.
"No one else was moving. We were on a carpet. We were exposed. My immediate response was 'Get this man away from us now,'" Cynthia explained.
The Broadway alum stands by her decision, saying that she would've done that for "any friend."
"I was like: 'Oh, you think because I look like this that you could talk to me this way about something that was a human thing that I would have done for any friend,'" Cynthia said, adding, "Hopefully, a friend would have done for me. But I must be a bodyguard."