Note: This article discusses potential eating disorders and mental health issues. It may be triggering for some readers.

“I’ve heard every criticism, tried to fix it, and it’s still wrong.”

When Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were cast as Glinda and Elphaba, they stepped into roles that would transform their careers forever. 'Wicked', one of Broadway’s most adored musicals, had fans frothing for a film adaptation for years. 

However, the road from stage to screen has been far from smooth. Since being cast in 2021, Ariana, Cynthia, and their fellow cast members have faced a series of challenges, including allegations of an affair, concerns about rapid weight changes, and intense mental health struggles.

Throughout both films' press runs, both Ariana and Cynthia have frequently broken down in public. Their emotional reactions have drawn so much attention that people are starting to question if there was something more sinister happening on set to cause such a reaction every time they talk about the film.

Cynthia and Ariana recently explained in separate interviews that these tears stem from the overwhelming intensity of discussing the film for the first time since it was made, and their journey from childhood to get here. 

On the Heart Breakfast show, Amanda Holden noted that almost every interview mentions their emotional moments. 

An Instagram account that goes by @emgracedawg said, “I feel like I'm watching two Hunger Games survivors”

Cynthia said, “We do! People come in with so much energy, and their emotional responses make us relive the journey we’ve been through. We just can’t help it; we get very emotional.” 

Ariana also told the Sentimental Men podcast that the cast cried nearly every day on set. “Everyone cried. It was really beautiful,” she said, adding with a touch of humour and sarcasm, “So, that was terrible.”

But all these tears had the rumour mill spinning out of control. After Ariana’s transformation into Glinda, including bleaching her hair to a light blonde, fans then started to voice their opinion about her apparent weight loss. Some came from a place of concern, while the majority were merely there to scrutinise.

Speaking out on social media in 2021, Ariana urged followers to approach those kinds of comments with sensitivity. She disclosed she had previously been struggling with mental health issues, taking antidepressants while drinking and eating poorly. 

Ariana said, “What you see as my health wasn’t healthy at all.” She encouraged fans to be mindful of others’ personal battles, noting that appearances rarely tell the full story.

But still, fans remain extremely concerned, not only about Ariana, but Cynthia and Michelle Yeoh, who plays Madam Morrible in the franchise. The three of them, recently seen walking together on the Yellow carpet in Singapore, the same event in which Ariana was grabbed and harassed by Johnson Wen, sparked rampant online speculation, with some suggesting the actors were suffering from eating disorders and competing against each other. 

I should mention that, coming from a theatre kid and someone who has endured the emotional and physical rollercoaster that comes with stage performances, it's no surprise with the amount of emotion coming from the cast members, and in my opinion is completely warranted. 

If you’ve never been around theatre kids, I can say that yes, it can come off a bit too much, but to us, this movie was the Super Bowl. 

Intense emotion is literally the baseline for us. And when you throw in the physicality of being on set for two-three years straight, running, dancing, acbrobating and singing at the same time, I can only imagine the diet they were on for them to be able to do this, which may have caused them to lose a lot of weight, extremely fast in the process. 

Keeping in mind that we didn’t see any of them in the spotlight, for the majority of the time they were filming, so of course, they were going to look different. 

In December 2024, Ariana opened up about feeling like a “specimen in a petri dish” since she was 16, under constant scrutiny for her appearance. “I’ve heard every criticism, tried to fix it, and it’s still wrong,” she said. She added that comments about weight are always “uncomfortable and horrible,” no matter how they’re delivered.

This isn’t the first time the world of OZ has been in the spotlight. For years, there were reports of sinister things happening on the original set of The Wizard of Oz with actress Judy Garland. Stating she was forced to eat pills that would suppress her appetite, smoke cigarettes, and stimulants to keep her awake for 72-hour shoots, only for her to be force-fed sleeping pills when she wasn’t needed on set.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Ariana described the cast as having become almost codependent. She poked fun at critics of their bonds, joking that she didn’t think “anyone would truly miss each other” 

Their intense shared experiences, from navigating COVID delays to labour strikes, have created a strong support network within the cast. But did it go too far? 

I ask anyone to work on a project or at a job for four years, build deep friendships and accomplish something that is groundbreakingly outstanding and not get emotional when talking about the journey of it all. 

I wish I didn’t have to say this, but this COULD be the beginning of a bigger and deeper story. Naturally, I don’t think the internet is done looking for answers, especially when it comes to weight loss, and with more and more appearances happening, I only see the detective work getting deeper. 

BUT, despite the challenges, both Ariana and Cynthia have embraced the journey, sharing moments of vulnerability and emotion with the public as they celebrate the release of Wicked: For Good.

Speculation can only get us so far, and we may never know the true ins and outs of what happened on set. Parasocial behaviours, like some of the ones I’ve seen online lately, have made me realise that we think these actors owe us anything. From an explanation of emotion to weight loss, it’s really not for us to dictate. We’re humans first, fans second, and that needs to be remembered more than ever now. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, check out a bunch of mental health links and resources here