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Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and More Best Red Carpet Moments From the ‘Wicked’ Premiere
Cynthia Erivo is using all the proper ploys when it comes to her scandalacious fashion.
Indeed, the Wicked actress, who stars in the movie alongside Ariana Grande, ditched the Shiz uniform and shared her inspiration for her stunning red—or perhaps green—carpet looks.
“I’m always going to be finding something that feels a little bit avant-garde because I love that,” she exclusively told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at the Critics Choice Association's 7th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television Dec. 9. “I love pieces. I love things that feel a little bit off to the left.”
Indeed, the 37-year-old stunned in a chic all-black ensemble, complete with an archive Elie Saab piece, a stack of glimmering hoops on each ear and an ornate set of nails.
“I will always have a jewel in my ears,” she noted. “I have 20-something piercings. I think about 27 piercings in my ears. And my stylist and I have worked together to both pick and pull. I like to buy. I like fashion. So these are my earrings.”
And while a pop of color can be a fun way to spice up a look, Cynthia proved that defying uninteresting silhouettes can be a more exciting tactic.
“For me, it's all about structure and shape,” she explained. “I play with that so that if I do wear a muted color, the shape of it is what actually changes the point of view.”
To complete the look, Cynthia’s long acrylics were the center of attention. After all, they were the most swankified set on the carpet.
“My nails are always a part of the story,” she continued. “I asked for something sort of fairy-esque and gard, like a garden on the fingers.”
But it seems her long nails have raised some interesting curiosities—and Dax Shepard had the braverism to ask her what so many others were wondering.
"Can I ask you a really crazy question that's inappropriate?" he said on a November episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, before Cynthia stopped him, knowing he was prepared to ask the question she said, "No one's afraid to ask."
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
And if you haven’t already guessed it, the question had something to do with her personal hygiene.
"Everybody asks that question,” she explained, “and my answer is that nobody uses just their fingers to wipe their backside."
"I'm annoyed by it," she continued. "But I get it. But it's also like, I'm a functioning adult and I've never walked around smelling like, you know."
Cynthia ended the discussion by reassuring Dax that she wipes "very well," regardless the length of her nails—though she cannot guarantee the same for everyone else.
"Here's the thing,” she stated, “there are people who do not have nails who need to check how they're wiping."
To see more of Cynthia and Ariana’s stunning Wicked-inspired looks, keep reading…
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Coming Attractions
Presenting together at the 2024 Oscars in March, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were already teasing what was in store from the first installment of Wicked, coming to theaters Nov. 22.
Erivo, who plays green-hued "bad" witch Elphaba, looked ready for both the red carpet and battle in leather Louis Vuitton with reptilian ruffles down the back. And Grande, who costars as "good" witch Glinda, channeled old Hollywood glam in a powder-pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture column gown magically accented with enough fabric to provide a peplum, a stole, a bustle and a train all at once.
David Becker/WireImage
They Know About Popular
The Wicked train chugged into CinemaCon in April with Grande all aboard in a white and pink Oscar de la Renta minidress that resembled a blooming flower, while Erivo sported a green and silver Versace ensemble, including fierce thigh-high satin boots.
Not the colors of dear old Shiz, but she has an open invitation to play Quidditch for Slytherin.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images
Très Chic
Gold for best dressed went to team Wicked at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the costars were spotted at multiple events.
But first, they kicked off the Games at the July 26 Opening Ceremony, Erivo in a strapless green Louis Vuitton gown with a gravity-defying silhouette and Grande in a drop-waist powder-pink Thom Browne dress that would've made Audrey Hepburn proud.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops
Erivo, who also performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the event, looked wickedly good in a glittering emerald gown by Naeem Khan at the 2024 Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 4th Annual Gala on Oct. 19.
Another popular choice: Grande's leather-trimmed polka dot ball gown courtesy of Balmain.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Pictures
Coat of Many Colors
Erivo accessorized her T-shirt and cropped jeans with bright-green pumps and a patterned Louis Vuitton coat at an Oct. 28 screening of Wicked at the DGA Theater in New York.
Grande looked ready for her first day of witch university in a cream-colored button-down vest and matching skirt by Atelier Versace.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards
Peas in a Pod
It's unclear if Grande floated to the WSJ. Magazine 2024 Innovator Awards inside a magical bubble, but her delicately embroidered white Vivienne Westwood gown was fit for such a journey.
Meanwhile, Erivo's Erdem dress—gray pinstripes overlaid with embellished green silk—was Land of Oz meets Wall Street.
Saverio Marfia/Getty Images
Good Witch of the North
Grande went full Glinda at the Nov. 3 Australian premiere of Wicked in a pink Vivienne Westwood ball gown.
Don Arnold/WireImage
Far From Basic
Erivo leaned into Elphaba's wicked future at the premiere in a black Louis Vuitton strapless gown, accessorized with a massive lion's head choker and another bedazzled green manicure.
"I love this outfit so much because it speaks to my character," the British actress told Vogue Australia before heading to the red carpet (or, in this case, yellow brick road). "It reminds me of wings and defying gravity."
Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Every Look There Is or Was
Erivo cast yet another spell at the Nov. 5 Wicked photocall in Australia, this time in an emerald and black Marc Jacobs blouse paired with a black embroidered skirt.
And for her last trick: Dividing the eye's attention between her dainty fascinator and the towering multistrap Mary Jane platforms that added at least 6 inches to her 5-foot-1 frame.
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