Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have proven their friendship goes way beyond the screen.
While walking the red [actually, yellow] carpet at the premiere of the part two of the film, Wicked: For Good, in Singapore, Grande – who plays Glinda – was accosted by a fan who broke through the barricade, prompting Erivo [Elphaba] to jump into action, lunging between them and appearing to shout him down.
In footage shared on TikTok by user Belle Phai of the incident, Grande, 32, looked visibly shaken as she attempted to get away from the man, who had long black hair with dyed blue streaks.
Bodyguards quickly took over the situation, taking him away, while Erivo and fellow Wicked star Michelle Yeoh comforted Grande.
It didn’t take long for fans to identify the man as Johnson Wen, also known as “Pyjama Man,” on social media, who is infamous for generating headlines with his celebrity stunts. He rushed the stage at a Katy Perry concert in June, and just weeks later, did the same at The Weeknd’s show.
Wen released his own footage of the Grande incident following the premiere, writing: “Dear Ariana Grande Thank You for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You”.
He also claimed he had been “released” after “being arrested”.
The incident would likely have had even more impact on Grande, given that she has previously spoken about her struggles with PTSD following the deadly bombing attack on her concert in Manchester in 2017.
“Yeah, it’s a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well,” Grande told British Vogue back in 2018.
“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss … I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
Meanwhile, Erivo’s protectiveness over Grande will come as no surprise to fans who have followed their Wicked publicity tours.
The pair are regularly gushing about their close bond, with Grande describing it as “cherished”.
“That was one of my most cherished parts of this experience: I felt held and like I had a friend every step of the way,” Ariana told The New York Times last year.
“I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time.”
For her part, Erivo has described the “wonderful synergy” of working with Grande.
“When you’re working with a person who gets it … and they can look in your eyes and know exactly what you need, when you need it, without you having to say it,” she said at a Canva event.
“We could always have this ongoing conversation about what we needed as the days went on.”
