It’s still remarkable to think of how Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – two women known for having tricky personalities – managed to get through a year-long production of two Wicked films, plus a months-long Wicked promotional tour, and there were no eruptions or fights or beefs or anything. Ari and Cynthia genuinely seem to get along and they match each other’s freak in a really funny and charming way. It’s been kind of joyful to watch two women – the leads of two huge musical productions – float along without any drama. So, obviously, now the first film is a huge hit, there’s a movement afoot to drive a wedge between Cynthia and Ari. For several days, a story has been circulating. A story about Ariana getting paid $15 million for Wicked, while Cynthia only got paid $1 million. Well, Universal has now stepped in to correct the record.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were paid the same salary for their work on Wicked.
“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder. The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked,” a Universal spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. Multiple sources familiar with the situation also told THR that the actresses were paid the same for their work on the movie musical from director Jon M. Chu.
Unsubstantiated rumors about Erivo and Grande’s salary surfaced this week on TikTok and Reddit, with social media users claiming Grande made $15 million for the film while Erivo earned $1 million. Multiple news outlets picked up the social media commentary, only adding to the firestorm.
While I would have believed that Ariana got paid more, the idea that anyone is paying Ari $15 million for her first major film role is insane. Anyone claiming that lacks all credibility. But I’m glad that Universal emphasized that they got paid the same – someone must have pointed that out during casting and contract negotiations too, that if Glinda and Elphaba were given wildly different paydays, it would eventually come out and make everyone look horrible.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.