No one has had a better press run than singers Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo of “Wicked.” And despite the internet clowning the duo for their close — sometimes too much for comfort — friendship, the pair said it was all organic.

Cynthia Erivo is prepared to "raise hell" if Ariana Grande doesn't get an Oscar nomination for her role as Galinda/Glinda in 2024's Wicked. Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked hit United States theaters in November 2024.

This month, its stars and director covered Variety and addressed at least two of the promotion cycle’s most persistent rumors: that Grande and Erivo were paid vastly different sums, and Grande’s apparent voice change.