'Wicked' Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Break Down Viral 'Holding Space' Interview

Variety

'Wicked' Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo break down "the meme of the year." They take us behind 'Holding Space' and why Ariana felt the urge to hold Cynthia's finger during the interview.

Transcript

00:00I remember in the moment asking myself, am I okay?

00:03People are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that and feeling

00:16power in that.

00:18That's really powerful.

00:20I was surprised because I was like, I had no idea because I haven't been looking.

00:23I mean, it's been happening on some level.

00:25She's like, well, yeah, I mean, I guess.

00:27I mean, I guess.

00:28I've seen it.

00:29That's really powerful.

00:32I had no idea that this thing was going on.

00:35I didn't know that that was happening.

00:37So I didn't know what any part of it meant.

00:40That's really powerful.

00:42I didn't understand the first sentence.

00:46I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding

00:52space with that and feeling power in that.

00:55And then I definitely didn't understand what was happening, how you responded.

01:01I was like, oh, what did she say?

01:03What did you hear?

01:04And I just wanted to be there because I knew something big was happening and I didn't know

01:08how to be there.

01:09I didn't know that was happening.

01:14But then after a while, I didn't know how to be there.

01:18That's why I wanted.

01:23She said something that meant something to her.

01:27It meant something totally different to you.

01:29And then she tried to kind of get somewhere else.

01:34And the craziest thing was, I remember in the moment asking myself, am I OK?

01:40Did I not hear something?

01:42I was like, am I?

01:43I was like, she looks like she's about to cry again.

01:45And I'm going to grab this because I think you might need something.

01:48And I don't know what the tapping was about.

01:50But tension.

01:51Tension.

01:53Yeah, that happened.

01:54I was like, oh, shit.

01:55Something's happening.

01:56She had said that she was seeing it because she was in queer media.

01:57You know, I am in queer media.

01:59And I was like, I honestly didn't know what that meant.

02:04And am I also in queer media, maybe?

02:07Great.

02:08Work.

02:09Let's both be there.

02:10It was so beautiful.

02:11I just am glad.

02:12I feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that

02:16I did because I felt like, oh, I'm not broken.

02:19I do love how the world has like gone with it.

02:22I felt so relieved.

02:24My favorite is the gay men's chorus singing, we're really holding space for that.

02:28Really holding space with that and feeling power in that.

02:32I haven't seen that.

02:33I love that one.

02:34It's so good.

02:35It's really great.

02:36Yeah, well, I've seen it.

02:37I've seen it on a couple of posts.

02:38And also just like articles.

02:39I mean, yeah, well, I've seen it.

02:44That's the craziest part for me.

02:45It's good.

02:46I love that it's become vernacular now, which is really fun that people are constantly saying

02:50we're really holding space for that.

02:51I want a t-shirt with holding space on that.

02:54That's when you knew it was something.

02:56When the next day, Evan Ross Katz texted me and was like, do you want this shirt?

02:59I got two for you.

03:00What?

03:01He has a shirt?

03:02Is there a shirt?

03:03He has.

03:04I need it.

03:05Please can I have it?

03:06It's on its way.

03:07Thanks to Evan Ross Katz.

03:08Oh my gosh.

03:09I was like, oh, what's that?

03:10Oh, perfect.

03:11The best thing to do is, is really to hold space with that.

03:15During that interview, I was in the other room.

03:16Hilarious.

03:17No idea.

03:18It was brilliant.

03:19The world was changing.

03:20He felt a magical vibe.

03:21I did feel.

03:22I was like, something's happening over there.

03:24My finger is itching.

03:26It now is like vernacular.

03:29I love that because you're feeling my vibes.

03:34That scratches the itch.

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