Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo share emotional notes on ‘Wicked’ for film’s premiere: ‘From us with love’

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are celebrating the release of “Wicked” in theaters.
The co-stars took to social media on Friday to share heartfelt messages about their time on the film as audiences were finally able to defy gravity and see the sure-to-be popular movie.
“This journey has been long, and paved with bright, yellow brick,” Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the film, wrote in an Instagram post. “We have laughed and cried, held hands and walked side by side, our lives intertwined, and because of that, we were irrevocably changed for good.”
“We gained more than a movie. We gained a love letter to love, friendship, the celebration of the things that make us different, special, and beautiful, and the bravery it takes to change your mind,” she continued.
Erivo thanked her character “for the gifts you have brought me,” said it’s “been an honor to share this experience of a lifetime” with Grande and praised director Jon M. Chu for “your belief, your heart and imagination.”
“Wicked is now yours, from us with love,” she concluded her post.
Grande, who plays Glinda in the film, shared an Instagram post which read: “like a handprint on my heart. happy Wicked day to all.”
In a lengthy note to her “sweet, sweet fans” on her Instagram story, Grande said she was “feeling incredibly emotional” about the film’s release and said she “wanted to just thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“often when we meet in person, you tell me that you’ve grown up with me or about the impact that my work has had on your life but i feel like i don’t really get the chance to tell you enough about the impact that you’ve had on mine,” she wrote. “you have held my hand and helped mend my heart time and time again over the past ten years and i would never be here without you. i mean that in every way you can interpret it.”
Grande acknowledged her fans for “your fierce protection, your passion, and your ability to see me and love me as i evolve alongside all of you” and called her connection to them “one of the greatest joys and gifts of my life.”
“i love you,” she concluded. “see you at the theater.”
“Wicked” is the movie adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, which itself is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.