Wicked fans are baffled by breathless exchange with Cynthia Erivo about ‘holding space’ for ‘Defying Gravity’ song during ‘uncomfortable’ press tour – and viewers are all asking the same question

Fans of the highly anticipated ‘Wicked’ movie are left baffled by an ‘awkward’ interview with the two stars – who discuss ‘holding space’ for the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’.

The viral clip is the latest in an emotional press tour from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which has seen them repeatedly burst into tears while discussing the film.

Wicked: Part One – which opened in theaters on November 22 – is an adaptation of the beloved musical, which first debuted on Broadway more than two decades ago.

In the interview for Out Magazine, journalist Tracey E Gilchrist mentions the film’s closing song – ‘Defying Gravity’ – and claims that people are ‘taking the lyrics’ and ‘really making room for that’.

Erivo, 37, who plays Elphaba Thropp, holds her hand to her chest and says: ‘I didn’t know that happened. That’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.’

The exchange quickly gained traction on social media, with fans of the film baffled by what the conversation actually means – and the fact that it relates to a twenty-year-old song.

One person said: ‘I’m saving space for the video about saving space for the Defying Gravity lyrics. I don’t understand what holding space means or why it is so powerful, but I hold space for the potential to understand the space I hold.”

Another added: “I’ve watched this thirty times and I still can’t parse anything that’s happening here.”

A third asked if the cast of ‘Wicked’ is okay. She said: ‘I’m obsessed with what’s going on on Earth with the cast of Wicked. Every press interview I’ve seen has been bizarre.

‘Are you okay? What’s going on?’

Another person said the interview overall had “weird and awkward feelings.”

Others simply mocked the language Gilchrist used, with the phrase “keeping space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity” quickly becoming a joke on social media.

But some pointed out another strange moment in the same interview, in which Ariana Grande – who plays Glinda Upland in the film – appears to caress her co-star’s finger as she speaks.

Grande, 31, also seemed emotional about the “Defying Gravity” comments, reaching out to grab her co-star’s index finger in an apparent show of support.

‘What was this?’ one person wrote on X next to a screenshot of Grande’s hand wrapped around Erivo’s finger.

“Is this a sketch comedy show or something?” someone else asked.

Another user added “The finger grip” along with a skull emoji.

‘When I see this I feel like I’m sniffing petrol, it’s so surreal. Why is Ariana holding her special finger like that?’ read a fourth tweet.

This interview is far from the first time Erivo and Grande have raised eyebrows for their behavior during a busy global press tour for Wicked.

During a slew of interviews and red carpet events, the stars have broken down in tears multiple times – once even apologizing for it.

“We cried 500 times today. And honestly, this is a PSA. I’m sorry guys,” Grande told E! News earlier this month.

“It is what it is,” her British-born co-star Erivo added. “We just can’t do anything about it.”

She had previously tried to explain why she and Grande broke down in tears so many times while promoting the film.

On the Heart Breakfast show, Amanda Holden told Erivo, “Every interview I’ve read Cynthia about you and Ariana just says you’re in tears all the time.”

Erivo replied: ‘Yes!

“And I think it’s because people come in with so much energy and they come in, their reactions, their emotional reactions come into the room with us, it’s the first time we can talk about it, so we’re both reliving it and reliving it.” experiencing all the things we have experienced and the journey we have made.

‘We can’t do anything about it. It makes us very emotional.’

Holden added, “Yes, I don’t blame you.

“You’ve been through Covid, you’ve been through strikes, all kinds of obstacles had to be overcome to make this film.”

For some fans, however, the tear-jerking moments were a bit too much.

“Does anyone else find it bizarre that the Wicked press tour seems to consist solely of actresses crying the entire time,” someone wrote on X.

“Literally the only press videos of Wicked I’ve seen are these two crying,” another added.

Echoing a similar sentiment, a third said: ‘What is really going on with this Wicked press tour, are these girls ok????? They’re always bawling their eyes out.’

The film adaptation of the 2024 Broadway musical Wicked lasted approximately a year, with principal photography beginning in England in December 2022.

Filming was paused in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, but resumed after the winter holidays of the same year and finally wrapped in January 2024.

Director Jon M. Chu decided to film the adaptation in two separate films, so that means the cast and crew will do all the promotional interviews again next year.

Wicked is the origin story of ‘a green-skinned woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West’ and serves as a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz, exploring the story before Dorothy’s arrival and exploring the former friendship between characters Elphaba and Glinda becomes engrossed. .

Critics’ reviews for Wicked have already poured in, and for the most part, they’ve applauded the performances of its leading stars.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described it as a ‘sugar rush fantasy with Cynthia Erivo’s overwhelming star presence; it basically immerses you face down in a hyper-realistic ball pit full of M&Ms for two and three-quarters of an hour.”

He praised Erivo’s performance, adding, “Erivo’s charismatic Elphaba exerts a planetary pull on a star-studded cast.”

Brian Viner of The Daily Mail wrote: ‘It’s a fantastic spectacle, begging to be seen on the biggest screen possible.’