Wicked’s Ariana Grande was just as lost about ‘holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity’ as us
Wicked stars Ariana Grande (L) and Cynthia Erivo (R). (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Ariana Grande has admitted to being just as confused as us about the “holding space for the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity'” Wicked meme.
If you’re still, almost three weeks on, confused about the whole “holding space for the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity'” thing, you’re not the only one. It turns out that Wicked’s very own Glinda the Good Witch also didn’t get the memo, despite being in the same room where it happened.
Recalling her confusion during the interview with Out magazine journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist, Grande told Variety in a recent interview: “So I didn’t know what any part of it meant. I didn’t understand the first sentence. And then I definitely didn’t understand what was happening — how you [Erivo] responded.
“I was like, ‘Oh, what did she say? What did you hear?’ And I just wanted to be there ’cause I knew something big was happening, and I didn’t know how to be there.”
To this, fellow Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, who portrays Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West in the film, added that she too was just as lost. “After a while, I didn’t know how to be there.”
Grande continued: “[Gilchrist] said something that meant something to her, it meant something totally different to you, and then she tried to kind of take it somewhere else. And the craziest thing was, I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I okay? Did I not hear something?'”
Grande also addressed why she decided to hold onto just one of Erivo’s fingers, in a bid to comfort her during the interview. “I was like, ‘Cause she looks like she’s about to cry again. And I’m gonna grab this ’cause I think you might need something,'” she said.
Despite their shared confusion, Erivo confirmed that she’s glad the world has decided to “hold space” for the phrase. “I love that it’s become vernacular now, which is really fun, that people are constantly saying, ‘We’re really holding space with that.'”
Wicked: Part One is out now in cinemas in the US, UK and Australia.
How did this story make you feel?
