Yahoo Lifestyle “I Was A Little Flustered”: The Journalist Who Went Viral For That Cynthia Erivo Interview Has Admitted She Was “Thrown” By Cynthia’s Response
Last week, an interview with Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande went seriously viral after people were left confused by Cynthia’s baffling exchange with the journalist about her epic musical number in the movie, “Defying Gravity.”
For reference, the song is a renowned standout moment in the stage production of Wicked, which first premiered back in 2003.
In a video, which was posted to X without comment on Thursday, EqualPride reporter Tracy E. Gilchrist can be seen telling Cynthia: “I’ve seen this week, people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.”
Cynthia is visibly struck by this remark, immediately putting her hand to her chest as she gently admits: “Uh, I didn’t know that that was happening.”
“I’ve seen it, yeah,” Tracy replies, with Cynthia seemingly lost for words as she chokes up and utters: “That’s really powerful, that’s what I wanted.”
She then turns to Ariana, who is sitting next to her, and Ariana looks serious as she solemnly reaches out and holds onto Cynthia’s finger.
“I didn’t know that was happening,” Cynthia repeats, appearing to be in shock, with Tracy explaining: “I’ve seen it on a couple of posts, I don’t know how widespread it is, but I’m in queer media.”
Within 24 hours, the video had racked up millions of views — with many admitting that they didn’t really understand what was being said in this conversation.
“i've watched this like 30 times, and i still can't parse a single thing going on here,” one person tweeted at the time.
Another viral tweet reads: “I’m completely mesmerized by this clip.. it’s almost like they are speaking a language I don’t understand. I can’t catch the sense of it for a single moment. I’m not understanding the words or the feelings or the energy at all. It’s amazing.”
And before long, the terms used in the exchange became somewhat of a meme, with many social media users joking about the things they are “holding space” for in a variety of viral online posts.
Now, Tracy has opened up about her encounter with Cynthia — and she has admitted that she did not anticipate the actor having such a strong emotional response to what she was saying.
Speaking to Variety, Tracy was asked if she could “recall any of the posts that inspired” her question, and she explained: “Most of it actually came from a conversation with a friend.”
“I was using that to tee up the question, and I was a little thrown off by [Cynthia’s] response because it was so sincere and real,” she went on. “I was a little flustered. I could have said: ‘I have all these friends, and this is our conversation.’ But instead, I said: ‘I’m in queer media.’”
Tracy also defined exactly what she meant by “holding space,” telling the publication: “‘Holding space’ is being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something. 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 explained. “When Cynthia sings: ‘I’m through accepting limits,’ there’s power in that. She plays a character who is othered. One who comes to her full power when she is exiled by a charlatan, by a cruel leader.”
“There’s a lot of resonance there right now for anyone who is marginalized. For me, holding space is listening to those lyrics anew and finding solace or inspiration,” Tracy concluded.
All in all, the journalist appears to see the positive side of her viral moment, and said that she is “glad people are finding joy in it and laughing.”
“Of course, there are cynics and haters out there but I’m really just trying to not pay too much attention to that,” Tracy added. “This was for us, for queer people who understand what I meant by holding space — or really, for anybody who feels marginalized and can relate. So it’s for us. It’s not for them. They can hate all they want.”
Cynthia has not explicitly acknowledged the viral interview clip, but she was caught liking Evan Ross Katz’s Instagram post that consisted of screenshots of the moment.
Meanwhile, Ariana appeared to poke fun at the way that she grabbed onto her costar’s finger as she shared a zoomed-in screenshot to her Instagram story on Saturday.
If, by any chance, you need reminding of the exchange, you can watch the full clip below. As always, let me know what you make of it all in the comments!
— masha (@MashaParty) November 21, 2024
EqualPride / Via x.com
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