Originally appeared on E! Online.
Cynthia Erivo is Ariana Grande’s friend for good, and will protect her from the bad.
Case in point, the Tony winner went into bodyguard mode at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere in Singapore when the “eternal sunshine” singer was accosted by a fan.
In videos shared across social media, Grande walked arm-in-arm with Erivo, as well as fellow “Wicked” costar Michelle Yeoh, down a line of fans, with barricades on both sides. After the 31-year-old blew kisses to a fan on her right, another young man jumped the barricade on her left side and ran up and wrapped his arm around her, jumping up and down.
Erivo quickly stepped in and tore the individual off of her pal, as bodyguards who surrounded the women took the young man away, and Erivo and Yeoh focused on comforting Grande. The Grammy winner recovered as Erivo kept her arm wrapped around her, and continued walking down the yellow carpet.
Later, the fan, who goes by Pyjama Man on his social media, confirmed his identity as Grande’s attacker, sharing in a Nov. 13 Instagram Story, “I am free after being arrested.”
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Given the space that Erivo and Grande hold for each other, it comes as no surprise that the “Harriet” actress was protective over her friend. Indeed, both “Wicked” stars have emphasized that they understood each other from day one.
“There’s a wonderful synergy when you’re working with a person who gets it,” Erivo explained during a Canva event in April, per People, “and they can look in your eyes and know exactly what you need, when you need it, without you having to say it.”
As she put it, “We could always have this ongoing conversation about what we needed as the days went on.”
Naturally, Grande felt just the same.
“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 told The New York Times last year. “I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time.”
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