Some on social media have been saying Ariana Grande got paid more for Wicked than her co-star Cynthia Erivo, but the movie’s studio is setting the record straight.
There have been rumors that Grande was paid as much as $15 million for her role as Glinda, and Erivo received $1 million for playing Elphaba.
But the studio is denying that.
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“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a spokesperson for Universal said in a statement shared with several outlets.
“The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.”
CNN has reached out to Universal for comment.
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Both women are being hailed for their performances in the Jon Chu directed musical.
Audiences have been flocking to theaters to enjoy what is the first part in a planned two-film franchise.
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Wicked reportedly raked in an estimated $162 million at the box office during opening weekend.
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It comes after Wicked star Ethan Slatertold 9honey Celebrity at the red-carpet of the Australian premiere that he and the cast “bonded over time” while working together.
“I do think the theatre kid in all of us was a really helpful bonding thing,” he says.
“I think the best part about it is that not only was everyone really kind and warm and welcoming, everybody’s incredibly talented and so you feel really safe doing scenes with everyone.”
The film is an adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical of the same name and follows an unlikely friendship between students Elphaba and Glinda before the former’s evolution to become the Wicked Witch of the West.
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