Cynthia Erivo Instagram
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are bonding over their love of Wicked.
The actresses posted behind-the-scenes glimpses of the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of the hit musical on their respective Instagram accounts Saturday.
Grande, 29, who is playing Glinda (the role originated by Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway), posted a photo of the two laughing during what appeared to be a read-through for the new movie.
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“I love you Xx,” Erivo, 35, commented on the two-time Grammy Award winner’s post.
The Tony Award winner, who’s been cast as Elphaba (originated on Broadway by Idina Menzel), also shared a video of what appeared to be one of their first meetings on the set, with Grande wrapping her arms around Erivo for a hug before they hold hands for a moment.
Ariana Grande Instagram
After they were cast in the lead roles back in November, Erivo opened up about bonding with her new costar on the red carpet of the Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, telling E! she was “very excited” to start production.
“Ariana and I have been meeting and chatting and talking and building our own relationship because we know that it’s a sisterhood and we want to be ready and prepared to be there for one another,” she added. “So it’s that, and [director Jon M. Chu] is amazing so we’re just sort of waiting to start. We’re ready to rehearse and get into it.”
“It’s the most delightful thing ever,” she continued to E! “We sat for like three hours on the floor of my house and just chatted and talked about everything.”
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Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in Wicked
Wicked debuted on Broadway in October 2003 with a cast that featured Chenoweth, Menzel and Joel Grey as the Wizard. The original production won three Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, as well as a Grammy.
Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical tells the story of Elphaba’s life prior to becoming known as the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which was later adapted into the classic 1939 film starring Judy Garland).
RELATED VIDEO: Idina Menzel Congratulates Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo on Wicked Casting News: ‘So Much Love’
Chu, 42, (who previously directed Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights) announced in April that the project would be split into two films, writing on social media that it allowed them to add “even more depth and surprise” to the story.
