Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo made Wicked filming so magic.
Just ask Ethan Slater, who plays Boq opposite their Glinda and Elphaba.
“They set the tone for all of us,” Ethan told E! News’ Justin Sylvester in a joint interview with costar Marissa Bode. “It felt familial. It felt like we were all in it together and that started with them.”
He emphasized, “They're a force together.”
And Ethan, who began dating Ariana last July, knows that his girlfriend is a pro when it comes to her art.
“She's incredible,” the star of Broadway's The Spongebob Musical added. “She's not a singer who wants to be an actress or an actress who wants to be a singer. She's just the best of both.” (For more with Ethan and the rest of the Wicked cast, tune into E! News tonight, Nov. 12 at 11 p.m.)
As Marissa—who plays Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose—explained, Ariana and Cynthia’s offscreen relationship strengthened their performances as Glinda and Elphaba.
“They have such a strong bond that I admire so much in the movie,” she explained. “These young girls are just figuring themselves out and translating into who they are as people—having a strong and loving bond to one another. It's really cool to see and it's really special."
As she put it, “Friendships like that don't necessarily come every day.”
And it was a move that the film’s shining pair knew was pivotal for the storytelling.
“The crux of this particular piece is the relationship,” Cynthia told E!. “If we couldn't be there for each other as Cynthia and Ari, then how could we possibly be there for the characters Elphaba and Glinda?”
“I think that there's something to be said for being able to make the space for a person who is going to share all that time with you,” she continued. “It allows for the experience of making something to be 100,000 times more pleasurable than it could be if you don't. It serves us both to be that way for each other.”
And Ariana couldn’t agree more. “We really did the work to take care of each other onscreen and offscreen,” she added. “We weren't alone in anything, and it was a really beautiful thing. I think that trust and that love is important because not only does this story require it, but just being a good partner in that way.”
As we wait for Wicked to hit theaters Nov. 22, read on to see Ariana and Cynthia’s most popular looks inspired by the movie.
(E! News and Universal Pictures are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Presenting together at the 2024 Oscars in March, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were already teasing what was in store from the first installment of Wicked, coming to theaters Nov. 22.
Erivo, who plays green-hued "bad" witch Elphaba, looked ready for both the red carpet and battle in leather Louis Vuitton with reptilian ruffles down the back. And Grande, who costars as "good" witch Glinda, channeled old Hollywood glam in a powder-pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture column gown magically accented with enough fabric to provide a peplum, a stole, a bustle and a train all at once.
The Wicked train chugged into CinemaCon in April with Grande all aboard in a white and pink Oscar de la Renta minidress that resembled a blooming flower, while Erivo sported a green and silver Versace ensemble, including fierce thigh-high satin boots.
Not the colors of dear old Shiz, but she has an open invitation to play Quidditch for Slytherin.
Gold for best dressed went to team Wicked at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the costars were spotted at multiple events.
But first, they kicked off the Games at the July 26 Opening Ceremony, Erivo in a strapless green Louis Vuitton gown with a gravity-defying silhouette and Grande in a drop-waist powder-pink Thom Browne dress that would've made Audrey Hepburn proud.
Erivo, who also performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the event, looked wickedly good in a glittering emerald gown by Naeem Khan at the 2024 Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 4th Annual Gala on Oct. 19.
Another popular choice: Grande's leather-trimmed polka dot ball gown courtesy of Balmain.
Erivo accessorized her T-shirt and cropped jeans with bright-green pumps and a patterned Louis Vuitton coat at an Oct. 28 screening of Wicked at the DGA Theater in New York.
Grande looked ready for her first day of witch university in a cream-colored button-down vest and matching skirt by Atelier Versace.
It's unclear if Grande floated to the WSJ. Magazine 2024 Innovator Awards inside a magical bubble, but her delicately embroidered white Vivienne Westwood gown was fit for such a journey.
Meanwhile, Erivo's Erdem dress—gray pinstripes overlaid with embellished green silk—was Land of Oz meets Wall Street.
Grande went full Glinda at the Nov. 3 Australian premiere of Wicked in a pink Vivienne Westwood ball gown.
Erivo leaned into Elphaba's wicked future at the premiere in a black Louis Vuitton strapless gown, accessorized with a massive lion's head choker and another bedazzled green manicure.
"I love this outfit so much because it speaks to my character," the British actress told Vogue Australia before heading to the red carpet (or, in this case, yellow brick road). "It reminds me of wings and defying gravity."
Erivo cast yet another spell at the Nov. 5 Wicked photocall in Australia, this time in an emerald and black Marc Jacobs blouse paired with a black embroidered skirt.
And for her last trick: Dividing the eye's attention between her dainty fascinator and the towering multistrap Mary Jane platforms that added at least 6 inches to her 5-foot-1 frame.
To get your tickets for Wicked, premiering Nov. 22, click here.
