Cynthia Erivo broke silence on running to protect her co-star and pal Ariana Grande during an incident in Singapore, Wicked: For Good premiere.
Grande made headlines after being accosted by a fan as she was walking the yellow brick road-themed red carpet with her co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Erivo and Jeff Goldblum.
The Harriet star in an appearance at the Today Show opened up about the incident and her decision to step in and shield Grande from the man.
“I was really thinking, I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe,” Erivo recalled. “I’m sure he didn’t mean us harm, but I just, you never know with those things and I wanted to make sure that she was okay. That was my first instinct.”
Following the incident, the attacker was quickly identified online as Johnson Wen, who goes by the name Pyjama Man. He is an Australian influencer known for serial event-crashing and stage-invasion stunts.
Previously, he has harassed Katy Perry, The Weeknd, The Chainsmoker and Lady Gaga.
Since attack on Grande, Wen has been charged with being a public nuisance and sentenced to nine days in jail, according to The New York Times.
Wicked: For Good follows the consequences of decision Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) take in end of the original film.
The synopsis states, now demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian forest, while Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, revealing in the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she’ll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.
