Why Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Got Matching Wicked Tattoos - and the Meaning Behind Them
The two stars of Wicked immortalized their bond in ink.
Wicked is an epic fantasy story, a Wizard of Oz prequel complete with beautiful locations, fantastic creatures, and of course, lots of magic. But the film doesn't work without a real connection between its two leads, and according to stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, that was never a problem.
RELATED: How Does Wicked Connect to The Wizard of Oz? The Magical World Explained
Speaking to The New York Times this week to promote the new film, which arrives Nov. 22 from Universal Pictures, Grande and Erivo emphasized the bond they'd forged on and off the Wicked set. Because the story is all about the unlikely friendship between green-skinned outcast Elphaba (Erivo) and popular pink-clad Glinda (Grande), the two actresses spent most of their time acting in scenes together, but even when they weren't sharing a camera frame, they were sharing time.
"I think that was one of my most cherished parts of this experience: I felt held and like I had a friend every step of the way," Grande said. "I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time."
RELATED: The Cast and Characters of Wicked Explained
The bond the two stars forged on Wicked, and which they continue through the film's press tour, feels like something built to last, so much so that both of them had it immortalized in ink on their skin.
The Wicked Stars' Matching Tattoos
In the New York Times interview, Erivo noted that she and Grande "got many tattoos" together, and while we might not know the full extent of their ink journey, we do know about at least two. Earlier this year, both Erivo and Grande shared images to their Instagram stories featuring their intertwined hands with matching tattoos. Erivo shared a shot of each of them sporting a poppy flower on their hands, while Grande shared an image of their palms, each newly inked with the words "For Good."
The poppies are likely a reference to the poppy fields growing outside the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz, fields placed there by the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and then fought by the Good Witch of the North (Glinda). Anyone who knows Wicked knows that it puts a new spin of the events of The Wizard of Oz, so those tattoos seem like a knowing wink in that direction.
Then there's "For Good," the title of one of the musical's most beloved songs. We won't spoil its meaning for those of you who've never seen the show, but it's an emotional bonding moment for Elphaba and Glinda, and cements their love for each other at a key time in the story. Clearly, Grande, and Erivo felt the same way.
How Many Tattoos Does Ariana Grande Have?
Reportedly, more than 60 tattoos.
At just 31 years old, Ariana Grande has put together a very impressive tattoo collection. According to a recent report by People, the actress and pop star has more than 60 tattoos across her entire body, and she gets more all the time whether the public knows about them or not. But of course, even the most visible of Grande's tattoos aren't always seen. She's covered some of them for major events, and she had to cover all of them for her role as Glinda, which you can see in the behind-the-scenes video below of exactly how they do that with movie magic.
Wicked is in theaters Nov. 22. Get tickets now at Fandango.
