Watch Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo React to Their ‘Wicked’ Dolls
They’ve been changed for good! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had a heartwarming moment when they got to see their Mattel Barbie dolls inspired by their Wicked characters in person for the first time.
The fourth-longest-running Broadway show of all time, Wicked pulls inspiration from both the stage musical and the best-selling Gregory Maguire-penned novel of the same name. Grande, who topped the Billboard 200 this year with her Eternal Sunshine LP, is set to star as Glinda the Good Witch, with Erivo, a two-time Academy Award nominee, taking on the iconic role of Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
In the clip, Erivo and Grande — fittingly dressed in green and pink, respectively — approach the table that their dolls are sitting on. “It’s perfect,” Grande says while picking up Glinda. Both actresses are then pleasantly shocked when the Elphaba doll began singing “Defying Gravity” upon being picked up.
“Sorry, I need a moment,” Grande joked, stealing the Elphaba doll to listen to the song. “They’re so tall!”
“Taller than us, that’s for sure,” Erivo agreed. Both Grande and Erivo are five feet one inch tall.
“What a dream come true to be realized as Elphaba and Glinda in the form of Sweet Little dolls. Little Cynthia and little Ari are pleased,” Erivo captioned the post, which you can see here.
The rest of the principal Wicked cast will feature Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Olivier winner Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Tony nominee Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy nominee Bowen Yang as Pfannee and Emmy nominee Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.
The first part of the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation arrives in theaters on November 22.
Rania Aniftos
Billboard