Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo share top billing in the Wicked movie – but how much did they earn for their roles?
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both receive top billing in the hit movie musical Wicked. However, Universal Pictures has had to refute claims that they were paid significantly different amounts for their respective roles as Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Several outlets reported this week that Grande, in her film debut as a lead, received $15 million for her role in the movie. This amount is 15 times higher than the rumored $1 million pay for Erivo.
However, a spokesperson from Universal, the film studio behind Wicked, insists that both stars were paid the same amount.
A Universal spokesperson stated to The Hollywood Reporter, “The claims of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are entirely false and based on online speculation. Both women were paid equally for their roles in Wicked.
The initial reports regarding the salaries of the main cast members also suggested that some supporting cast members earned higher paychecks than Erivo for their smaller roles. It was rumored that Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum each received $2 million for portraying Madame Morrible and the Wizard of Oz, respectively.
Another important member of the film’s supporting cast, British actor Jonathan Bailey, was reported to have received $450,000 for his role as the love interest, Fiyero.
Wicked has already proven to be a box office hit, earning over $10.3 million in Australia during its first five days in theaters. In the US, it achieved the biggest opening weekend for a musical adaptation in history, grossing $114 million.
Amid the praise, Wicked director Jon M. Chu responded to a common criticism of the new film after an interviewer questioned the “desaturated” color palette in his version of Oz.
Some have expressed concerns about the relatively muted colors in the movie, especially when compared to the vibrant technicolor palette of the 1939 original The Wizard of Oz.
In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, journalist Radheyan Simonpillai asked Chu about the film’s “aesthetic,” pointing out that “Wicked is a bit desaturated” in contrast to the “glorious technicolor” of The Wizard of Oz.
Chu didn’t completely agree with that assessment.
“I mean, there’s color throughout it. What we aimed to do was immerse people in Oz, making it feel like a real place. Because if it were a fictional world or just a dream in someone’s mind, then the genuine relationships and the stakes these two girls are facing wouldn’t feel authentic,” he explained.
However, Chu’s explanation has been met with some criticism from viewers.
One person on X described it as an “absolute nothing burger response,” arguing that “the film needs to be much more colorful in part two.”
The second Wicked film, which will cover the second act of the original Broadway musical, is set to be released at the same time next year.
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