"Just nod and smile" - Internet reacts as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo reveal they were clueless about viral 'Holding Space' trend for 'Wicked'

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo recently revealed they were clueless about the "Holding Space" trend. In a recent interview with Variety (posted on YouTube on Friday, December 6, 2024), the two co-stars expressed their confusion, with Ervio stating she had "no idea" and Grande adding:

"I didn't know what any part of it meant. I didn't understand the first sentence and then I definitely didn't understand what was happening when (Ervio) responded."

Grande is referencing her and Cynthia's interview with Tracey E. Gilchrist from November 2024, where the journalist told Ervio:

"People are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that."

Defying Gravity is a song from Wicked that talks about empowerment and defying social norms. In clips from the interview circulating online, Erivo seems to be left stunned and emotional hearing Gilchrist's remarks.

As the video went viral, internet users were quick to share hilarious responses. One noting Grande's reaction commented:

"just nod and smile."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @PopCrave)

Many commented on the Wicked press tour while others noted that Ariana was funny. Here are some comments seen under @PopCrave's post on X:

"This entire press tour is gold," a fan commented..

"this finally making people realize ariana is funny as fu*ck like wake up HDNSNK," one wrote.

"this is the funniest thing ever like none of the people involved knew what the hell was going ono," another pointed out.

Others remarked on the moment going viral despite everyone being clueless.

"this makes the entire moment ten thousand times funnier," another added.

"so basically none of them knew wth she was talking about and were just going along with it so it wouldn’t be awkward," one user remarked.

"This is why we need to platform theatre kids. They’re all insane and I love it," a user joked.

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"It means being in the moment"- Tracy Gilchrist explains the meaning behind "holding space"

Following Tracy Gilchrist's, of Out magazine, comments during the interview Cynthia Erivo was left stunned. In the clips circulating online, she is seen putting he hand to her heart and stating:

"I didn’t know that that was happening."

Gilchrist affirms that it was and that she had seen the phrase "holding space", prompting the Elphaba actress to remark:

"That’s really powerful—that’s what I wanted."

She then turned to her co-star Ariana Grande and the pair shared a meaningful glance. Grande is then seen reaching for Erivo's hand (to seemingly support her). The overwhelming moment made the journalist reconsider her comments stating she had only seen a couple of posts using the phrase "holding space" and she isn't sure how widespread it is.

Soon the interview went viral with netizens sharing memes about holding space. In a later interview with Variety (November 2024), Gilchrist explained that "Holding Space" means being "physically, emotionally, and mentally present with someone or something." She continued:

"For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted, and feeling something on a cellular level. I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song — one you’ve heard hundreds of times — and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you’re a queer person."

She exemplified it by comparing it with Project 2025 (a conservative political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation). She explained that Trump's administration was targeting LGBTQ+ people.

But when Cynthia (as Elphaba) sang, "I’m through accepting limits," from Defying Gravity, the journalist remarked that there was power in it.

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Wicked is a musical fantasy film based on a stage play of the same name. The play was inspired by the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It stars Cynthia Ervio as Elphaba Thropp (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland (Galinda the Good).

The film is currently running in theatres.