Cynthia Erivo teases one major change ahead of ‘Wicked: For Good’ but Ariana Grande says she isn’t totally on board

The (magic) dust has barely settled on Wicked and we’re already gearing up for its sequel, but the two leading stars have revealed opposing opinions ahead of Wicked: For Good. 

In case you missed it, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recently appeared at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas to promote For Good, the upcoming second installment of the movie adaptation of Wicked. The sequel closed out Universal Pictures’ overall presentation at the convention, and Glinda and Elphaba themselves were there to debut footage from the film ahead of its November release. 

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are now on the #CinemaCon stage to present ‘WICKED: FOR GOOD’ pic.twitter.com/eKetNsmYSx

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 3, 2025

Before showing off the footage — which reportedly included snippets of the song “No Good Deed” (gasp!) and clips of the two witches’ long-awaited reunion (double gasp!) — Erivo and Grande greeted audiences to inform them of what’s in store. While the two actresses have become notoriously close over the course of filming the project (to the point of spawning countless memes), they did speak of one key difference in opinion. 

“I promise less water works this time,” Erivo said, in reference to the pair’s tearful (and hilariously viral) press tour while promoting Wicked last year. Grande, however, appeared to rebuff the suggestion that she would go without crying, telling Erivo and fans that she “already [has] our tissues packed.” The playful disagreement naturally brings back memories of Grande and Erivo’s whirlwind press tour, which rivalled that of Don’t Worry Darling in terms of headline-grabbing moments. 

Cynthia Erivo says she promises less waterworks on the press tour for ‘WICKED FOR GOOD’ but Ariana Grande promises she’s packed tissues. pic.twitter.com/2ulaJga4k4

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 3, 2025

There was the ceaseless chatter of those who rooted for so-called Gelphie (which was later confirmed by Wicked’s original author), as well as a viral (and NSFW) QR code that was mistakenly printed on Wicked Barbie dolls. Then, of course, there was our collective quest to “hold space for the lyrics to ‘Defying Gravity,’” a sound bite so contagious it’s still used by this writer on a weekly basis. With such an influx of buzzy moments, it stands to reason Erivo might want to take a backseat during For Good’s press run, but let’s hope Grande’s packed tissues are also put to good use, too. 

Since the only fandom more diehard than the Swifities is the musical theater-heads, it wasn’t long before fans reacted to the pair’s comments. “So basically, one’s holding it together and the other’s ready for a full meltdown,” one fan wrote of Erivo and Grande’s opposing press tour goals. “Cynthia holding back tears while Ariana’s ready with tissues is peak friendship goals,” another X user added, with a third simply demanding “more tears.”

Cynthia holding back tears while Ariana’s ready with tissues is peak friendship goals.

— Capitán (@SirTopiano) April 3, 2025

In addition to that reference to the viral press tour, Wicked’s CinemaCon showing also included various unseen tidbits. Footage revealed during the presentation reportedly showed Elphaba beginning her campaign to expose the Wizard (played by Jeff Goldblum) and snippets of the original Wizard of Oz storyline intersecting with that of Wicked. That latter element was only teased in part one, and speculation is still rampant as to who will take on the role of Dorothy in For Good. 

First teaser for ‘WICKED: FOR GOOD’ at #CinemaCon shows Glinda & Elphaba reuniting, Elphaba starting her campaign to expose the Wizard, snippets of the original storyline of ‘Wizard of Oz’ intersecting

See the full footage description: https://t.co/BbLDfisoG5 pic.twitter.com/cS07F51D9O

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 3, 2025

While it’s arguably the crown jewel, Wicked wasn’t the only Universal movie promoted by the studio at CinemaCon. The company also showed off the upcoming Jurassic World: Rebirth, and announced to much fanfare that How To Train Your Dragon is getting a live-action remake. Still, it’s Grande and her tissues that produced the buzziest moment.