Cynthia Erivo criticized public reactions to a viral incident in Singapore where she protected Ariana Grande from a person who jumped over a barricade and grabbed her. Erivo said she and Grande were terrified and that she acted immediately because her brain told her to get the person away. She objected to portrayals of her as Grande’s “protector,” saying the framing relied on stereotypes about Black strength and white fragility. She said the mockery focused on her physique, shape, and appearance, leading to assumptions that she was controlling or had a specific role. She added that the reaction would likely differ if the roles were reversed.
"Speaking in a new interview, British actor Erivo said that the pair had been "terrified" during the incident. However, she took issue with the way in which she had been painted as Grande's "protector", saying that this perpetuated ideas around Black strength and white fragility. "I think that we haven't really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women," she told, adding: "And I'm sure people will read this and think, 'Oh, for goodness' sake, it's not about that.' But it is."
""Because that's what was being made fun of. It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the fact that I was bald; it was about what I looked like. And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role. I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around.""
"Recalling the incident, Erivo described how "nobody [had] moved", so she did. "I moved because my brain went, 'Get him away! Get him out of here!' My immediate reaction was 'Get him away from us.'" The Tony winner said the man clung to Grande."
Read at The Independent
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