Happy Ozmas! It’s like Christmas but where you can’t stop thinking or talking about Wicked! What a time to be alive, and of course by that I mean what a time to be alive for one of the most unhinged and earnest and delightful and bizarre and GAY big movie press tours of all time! In my ongoing efforts to distract myself from having to wait a year for Wicked: For Good, I decided to round up some of the gayest moments from the press tour. I couldn’t even get them all, because there are too many!!!! What a chaotic and gay cast we have here!!! But here are some highlights that together paint a pretty complete picture of just exactly what this press tour was holding space for.
14. All the times Ariana and Cynthia cried
I can’t even pick just one, but this is definitely one of the many examples of just how obsessed with one another they are. Ariana suggests they have TELEPATHY!!!!!!!!!!
13. Ariana and Cynthia talking about their matching outfits day one on set
Just another example of these two being cosmically connected. Ariana’s sweatshirt saying GAY also got me good.
12. Michelle Yeoh reacts to being a “gay icon”
She’s so thrilled!
11. Ariana Grande says she looked up Cynthia’s sign
The whole lie detector interview is a favorite of mine, especially the moon landing bit and the way she pronounces “Florida,” but this moment where she talks about having looked up Cynthia’s sign and knowing their compatibility is just so theater gay.
10. Some queer and queer-coded picks for the cast’s Letterboxd Four
Overall, I thought everyone’s choices were actually quite fun! Marissa Bode picked But I’m a Cheerleader and the original Wizard of Oz; Ariana Grande picked To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, which Cynthia Erivo said she also had seen recently and loved even though it didn’t make her list; it’s unclear if Jeff Goldblum understood the assignment, but it was still entertaining to hear him talk through it.
9. Jonathan Bailey agrees Fiyero is a “bi king”
I agree about the vibes between Fiyero and Pfannee for the record.
8. “Those chickens are gay”
When asked about Pride in Oz, the cast was like that’s pretty much every day in Oz. And to be fair, yeah, there are a lot of gay people in Wicked and therefore in Oz! Those chickens clucking around Emerald City? Gay, according to Ariana Grande.
7. Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James answer gay questions about their characters
@gaytimes @bowen yang and Bronwyn James tell us which of their @Wicked Movie characters would be most likely to… ✨ #game #wicked #wickedthemusical #snl #saturdaynightlive #wickedmovie #arianagrande #glinda #dragrace #rupaulsdragrace
I am truly obsessed with the fact that both of Glinda’s sidekicks are played by big ol’ gays who really do bring a queer sensibility to both characters.
6. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo share all of their matching tattoos they got during production
The first time I heard about their matching tattoos, I was like wow they really bonded on that set. Then when I watched the video of them explaining all the tattoos they got and their meaning and placements, I was like wow their love transcended space and time on that set.
5. Jonathan Bailey names “I’m Not That Girl” as a queer anthem
I’ve been saying this!!!! Also, not for nothing, “I’m Not That Girl” was one of my audition songs when I was a closeted musical theater kid.
4. Bowen getting his face beat while talking about Ariana pulling queer tarot cards
If the press tour was this gay, then I can only imagine what the vibe on set was. Ariana doing three card pulls from a queer tarot deck? It literally sounds like gay theater camp.
3. Ariana Grande says Glinda might be “a little bit in the closet”
She’s right, and she should say it, and in fact she did.
2. “Holding space” for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity”
Of course, of course, the iconic moment that was unavoidable even if you weren’t totally locked in to the Wicked press tour like some of us. Especially if you’re in queer media. It’s the pink hold heard round the world.
1. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo break down the viral holding space moment
Yes, even more so than the initial viral video, I think this video where they both “explain” it is the best and therefore queerest moment from the entire press tour. If there’s one key takeaway to be had, it’s that we all work in queer media if you really think about it. And cheers to that!