In an interview with Gay times during the infinite and increasingly nonsensical Evil On the press tour (I obsessively consumed every damn second of it), Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were asked about “Gelphie,” the eternal onepopular Evil Femmeslash ship that portrays Elphaba and Glinda as clearly more than just friends. “Glinda may be a little hidden,” said Grande, who plays Glinda in the film. And she’s not the only Glinda actress who thinks so. When E-news Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role on Broadway, posted the “Little Bit in the Closet” clip on Instagram and said in the comments: “That’s what I thought back when…”

It’s official: two out of two Glindas agree that Glinda might be a little secretive. (For some reason, Cheno’s use of the ellipses in the commentary really touches me. Generation X and their love of dot-dot-dot drama!)

When asked if Gelphie could ever become explicit canon, Grande replied: “You never know, give it some time. “It’s just true love, and I think that goes beyond sexuality.”

The Gay times The interview is full of ambiguous language about the relationship and sexuality between Elphaba and Glinda, but I’m honestly quite taken with the ambiguity! Your relationship Is Difficult to describe, and vague statements about it are not “queerbaiting.” One could argue that they give space to the complexity of the relationship. But seriously, I Do I think the Elphaba/Glinda dynamic defies the conventional definition. It’s not an exaggeration to say that they canonically have a relationship that goes beyond friendship, and if both Chenoweth and Grande feel un petit queerness in the character they play, then that’s obviously it case something There!

Erivo added of Elphaba: “She goes where the wind goes.” She continued: “I think she loves Glinda, I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep bond between the two.”

“They have a real relationship,” Erivo also says Gay times. “It’s true love, and that’s probably why people send it. What they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”

Elphaba reveals herself as loving Glinda and loving LOVE. Glinda is a bit in the closet. The Evil The press tour continues “For The Theater Gays.” Stay tuned for an upcoming Autostraddle deep dive on queer history and the origins of Evil!

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