Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's response to an interview question during their Wicked promotion was quickly picked up by the internet. Photo / Advocate Channel
Ariana Grande “didn’t understand” any part of her viral “holding space” interview.
The 31-year-old pop singer stars as Glinda in the film version of the musical Wicked opposite Cynthia Erivo, and the pair were presented with the mysterious phrase in an interview
with journalist Tracy Gilchrist when she tried to describe fans’ reaction to the number Defying Gravity.
The interview has gone on to become a social media sensation because of its nonsensical nature.
Speaking alongside her co-star in a new interview, she told Variety: “I didn’t know what any part of it meant. I didn’t understand the first sentence, and then I definitely didn’t understand how [Erivo] responded. And I just wanted to be there. Because I knew something big was happening, and I didn’t know how to be there.”
In the original clip, Gilchrist remarked, “People are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that and feeling power in that,” and Erivo – who plays the role of Elphaba in the unofficial prequel to The Wizard of Oz – admitted she was “surprised” by the comment, and was further confused when the journalist tried to justify her remarks by claiming she would know because she works in “queer media”.
