Dance through the lies.
Rumors about Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's “evil” salaries have been cleared.
It was reported online that Grande, 31, received $15 million to play Glinda the Good Witch in the two-part musical, while Erivo, 37, received just $1 million to play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
However, Universal Pictures denied the alleged $14 million pay gap on Tuesday.
“Reports of the pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on what is being published online,” a spokesperson for the film studio said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked,” they added.
Universal did not reveal how much the couple was paid for the film.
The Post has reached out to representatives for Grande and Erivo for comment.
Several media outlets reported that Grande made more money than anyone else in the “Wicked” cast, despite having less screen time than Erivo.
Even more surprising are reports that also claim that supporting cast members were also paid more than Erivo for their smaller roles: Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were rumored to be paid $2 million each to play Madame Morrible and the Wizard of Oz, respectively.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Bailey has reportedly been paid $450,000 to play Fierro.
“Wicked” has already been a huge hit at the box office globally. It grossed more than $162 million worldwide in its first five days in theaters.
In the United States, it had the biggest box office debut for a musical in history, earning $114 million in its opening weekend.
The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, had a budget of about $150 million.
The sequel “Wicked Part: Two”, featuring the same cast, will be released on November 21, 2025.
Grande and Ervio have been cast in the lead roles in 2021 after a lengthy audition process.
“I felt a little bit of initial nervousness or some kind of preconceived notions about what I might or might not be able to achieve, or why I might be wrong or whatever,” Grande said of her role as Glenda on the radio show “Sentimental Men.” Earlier this month.
The Grammy winner added that she understands if fans are concerned about her selection because of her background as a pop star.
“I probably would have said the same thing. I probably would have said, 'Why the hell? Kill me. I've waited 20 years for this. Kill me.' I would say that – as an outside fan who only knows “7 Rings,” I would probably say, “Well, that's bullshit,” she said. “So, you know, I get it.”
Meanwhile, Erivo told Variety in a recent interview that, as a black woman, she has always connected to Elphaba's story of being an outsider.
“I feel like I've been given this amazing gift of a character whose reason for existing is to show that all your difference is what makes you special,” Erivo explained. “That you can soar above anyone's expectations, that you can be everything you're meant to be, and that searching for that can be hard, but when it happens, it can be really freeing, and really beautiful.”
Cho, 45, has consistently supported the casting of Erivo and Grande in the film.
“They read with different people, but at the end of the day it was very clear that it was Elphaba and it was Glinda,” he recently told Entertainment Weekly.
“I didn't know they were going to work. I didn't know if they wanted each other,” he added. “I had no idea who the actual characters were, but I knew they were right for those roles.”
