Earlier this year, Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo hit headlines as they were seemingly inescapable in their promotion of the movie.
The two stars are reportedly quite close and are often seen holding hands or touching in some way, which Erivo explained on The Drew Barrymore Show is how they both tend to communicates with one another.
However, a seemingly awkward and affectionate moment that took place while they were being interviewed by Tracy E. Gilchrist turned into a meme overnight.
The pop culture media veteran, who writes for Out Magazine and The Advocate, asked Erivo: “I’ve seen this week that people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande became close friends while filming for Wicked (Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage)
“Would you touch on that moment in the film Elphaba has been banished and yet she comes into her full power at that moment of the worst time?”
It became apparent that Erivo, like most of us, wasn’t entirely confident with the question but responded politely: “I didn’t know that that was happening… that’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.”
She looked longingly at Grande who then reached out and held her co-stars finger.
The reporter replied that she had ‘seen it on a couple of posts’ before adding: “I’m in queer media.”
The bizarre exchange rocked social media as fans joked about the finger-holding response and what ‘holding space’ meant, and the journalist has taken it in good spirits.
The viral moment between the pair in Tracy E. Gilchrist’s interview (Advocate Channel/YouTube)
Explaining why she posed that iconic question, Gilchrist said: “It was two days after the election, and everyone I knew in the the LGBTQ+ community was trying to make sense of what we might be facing.
“I loved her response, and I love that people are having a laugh, because I know I could use one about now. I never considered I’d become a meme. But as an unrepentant showqueen, I’m thrilled that it’s for something this campy, in response to a movie I love. Now go see Wicked!”
Now, weeks after the sensational clip, Gilchrist sat down with Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning to discuss their roles in the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, when the giggles broke out over it all once again.
Before the interview even began, Gilchrist joked: ‘First I just want to let you know that I am holding space for you’ while the actors clearly recognized her as they said they were ‘starstruck’ in her presence.
Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning sat with the reporter to discuss their roles in a new biopic (Advocate channel)
Chalamet added: “It’s an honor talking to you, I feel sort of starstruck.”
Fanning then said: “You walked in and I was like, ‘Tracy!’ There’s nothing that we can do that can trump what happened.”
The pair then re-created the viral ‘finger-holding’ meme as the trio burst into more laughter.
Reacting to the hilarious scene, Gilchrist told Out: “This viral moment has been the wildest ride of my life, filled with so much laughter and joy. But this moment with Timothée and Elle was hilariously surreal.
