Cynthia Erivo tells of ‘insidious’ perception of black women after backlash

By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo has told of the “insidious nature of how we view black women” amid online criticism regarding her appearance.

The Oscar-nominated actress, 39, has reflected on how she was “made fun of” after stepping in to protect co-star Ariana Grande during the Singapore premiere of the Wicked sequel, when a fan rushed on to the red carpet.

The incident hit headlines internationally and it has since been reported that a court in the country sentenced the Australian man to nine days in prison for grabbing Grande.

In an interview with Variety, singer and actress Erivo recounted the “terrifying” event and admitted that the online scrutiny that followed made her feel “like my humanity had been bastardised”.

Erivo said: “Nobody moved. Nobody moved.

“So I moved because my brain went, ‘Get him away! Get him out of here!’. My immediate reaction was ‘Get him away from us’.

“What people couldn’t see is that he wouldn’t let go (of Grande). He wouldn’t let go. So I just kept pushing at him to get him off.

“A stranger is a stranger. Personal space is still personal space. It doesn’t belong to anyone, even if you feel you know the person. In that moment, we were all terrified.”

The incident was recorded and shared online to social media, and the viral moment led to an influx of posts and memes during which Erivo was jokingly referred to as the singer’s “bodyguard”.

On this, Erivo said: “I think that we haven’t really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view black women. And I’m sure people will read this and think, ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, it’s not about that’, but it is.

“That’s what was being made fun of. It was my physique, it was my shape, it was the fact that I was bald; it was about what I looked like.

“And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role.

“I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around.”

Erivo added that the incident contributed “in a way” to her being put off campaigning for an Oscar for her role in the hit musical adaptation as the witch Elphaba.

Wicked: For Good received no Academy Award nominations as opposed to the first film, which was released in 2024 and received 10 nods, including Erivo and Grande up for best actress gongs.

She said: “I just felt like my humanity had been bastardised.

“I felt like something I did instinctively had been made to be something that it simply was not because of the way people see women who look like me, and because of the assumptions that are made, and I just didn’t want to be a part of that, really and truly.

“I didn’t want to put myself through it. I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”

The star also reflected on the public reaction she faced following the first Wicked press tour, during which she and Grande sparked scrutiny for the affectionate display of their friendship.

Erivo told the US magazine: “It’s very interesting, watching what people’s perception is versus what the reality actually is.

“Lots of psychologists seated at home deciding who we were, what we were going through, what we were doing and why.

“I think that people didn’t really believe that we were actually friends. But that’s also because people don’t know me very well.

“If I’m a friend, then I’m a friend. If I’m not, then I’m not.”