Truth About Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Contributions to ‘Wicked’ Makes Equal Pay Claims Hard to Believe
- Arian Grande and Cynthia Erivo-starrer Wicked is doing great at the box office.
- Grande and Erivo were reportedly paid the same, but perhaps that should not have been the case.
- Jon M. Chu opens up about Dorothy Gale's character in the next Wicked movie.
The headlines do not seem to get enough of Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The movie continues to make and break records at the box office and otherwise, while the actresses work their magic at the promotions alongside the rest of the cast.
There have been numerous conversations around this movie: from the controversy around Grande’s relationship with co-star Ethan Slater to the discussion around the alleged pay disparity between the 7 Rings singer and Erivo. Recently, a spokesperson for Universal has clarified that there was no difference in their pay, but the question remains if equal pay is what should have happened here.
Do Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Deserve to Be Paid the Same for Wicked?
The friendship between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s respective characters, Glinda and Elphaba is the center of the Jon M. Chu-directed musical fantasy film, Wicked. It is a two-part adaptation of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.
When Grande and Erivo began promoting the movie earlier this year, more and more people came to learn about this musical film. People even love their off-screen friendship, but this does not stop them from wondering out loud if there was a disparity between the amount they were being paid for their work.
According to Showbiz Galore, the One Last Time songstress was paid $15 million while Erivo was paid only $1 million. This led many to object to this alleged massive gap in their pay. However, recent The Hollywood Reporter reports state that a spokesperson for Universal said that such claims are baseless.
This is definitely good news for fans, but it is also worth wondering if Grande should have been paid more considering how her reputation as an internationally popular singer must have contributed to the film’s marketing. This is not to discredit the Academy Award-nominated actress’ work, but it is worth thinking about.
Considering Erivo’s impressive discography, it is evident that she has more experience as an actress than Grande. This, of course, makes for a great viewing experience, but as far as spreading the word about the movie is concerned, the Dangerous Woman songstress seems to have contributed a lot. Many international fans began noticing the movie more when they learned of Grande’s attachment to it so perhaps she should have been paid more. Again, this does not mean that Erivo has worked any less hard.
Jon M. Chu Teased About Dorothy Gale in Wicked: Part Two
Regardless of all the things that everyone has to say about the film, it is doing quite well at the box office and has become the movie with the third biggest opening of the year, leaving behind Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. Needless to say, fans are looking forward to Wicked: Part Two.
Ariana Grande’s ‘Wicked’ Smashing a $760 Million Marvel Film’s Record Was Not In Our 2024 Bingo Card
Viewers got a glimpse at Dorothy Gale in this movie, but whether or not there will be more of her in the next movie remains to be seen. In an interview with Screen Rant, M. Chu said:
I didn’t want to step on your images of whatever version of Dorothy you wanted her to be. But the presence is important because that plays a significant role in what will happen and how they intersect. That was sort of how we played with it. But you’ll have to see movie 2 to know how far we go with her.
So, for the time being, all fans can do is wait for the second part to be released next year. Hopefully, the film will turn out to be worth the wait when it finally releases.
