No, Ariana Grande wasn’t paid 15 times more than Cynthia Erivo for Wicked

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo received the same salary payments for Evilthe studio clarified after rumors of a large pay gap spread online.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet material. The women received equal pay for their work.” Evil“said a Universal spokesperson in a Nov. 26 statement shared by The Hollywood Reporter.

The studio’s news came after now-debunked reports began circulating online that Grande was paid $15 million for the role of Glinda, while Erivo was paid $1 million for the role of Elphaba. The studio did not disclose exact amounts paid to cast members.

Grande, who brings a long-standing fan base from her music career and a whopping 376 million Instagram followers, and Erivo, a two-time Oscar-nominated star with a Tony win, have both received high praise for their performances in the film.

Before casting Grande and Erivo as leads Wizard of Oz For the prequel films, director Jon M. Chu considered using “no-namers” instead.

“I wanted to have a very clear starting point Evil” said Chu, 45. “It’s a big enough property that we can spot two people.” I thought, “We’ll find no-namers.” ”

“But then we started getting calls from all these amazing actresses wanting to audition and we saw everyone and they were all really great,” he added. “Anyone could have played this role, except there were two people who were supposed to play this role for this particular film and at this particular time.”

While promoting the film over the past few weeks, Erivo and Grande have praised the strong bond they formed while filming the films. (They even got matching tattoos to commemorate their shared experience.)

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“I think that was one of my most valuable parts of the experience: I felt held every step of the way and like I had a friend,” Grande said The New York Times about her friendship with Erivo. “I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we cared for each other throughout this whole time.”

Erivo added: “I’m glad it was us.”

Evil broke box office records for the biggest opening weekend for a Broadway adaptation when it debuted at No. 1 before Thanksgiving. The sequel, part two of the story, will hit theaters in November 2025.

The film musical’s cast also includes Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode.

Evil is now in the cinema.