EXCLUSIVECynthia Erivo recalls 'tearful' moment she and Ariana Grande found out they were nominated for Oscars

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Cynthia Erivo has revealed the exact moment she found out she was up for the award for Best Actress at the upcoming Oscars ceremony - and shared her Wicked costar Ariana Grande's emotional reaction to her own nomination.

The much-anticipated announcement occurred while Cynthia, 38, was flying from London to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday morning.

And the actress nearly missed the moment due to WiFi issues on her plane.

While speaking at The Elvis Suite presented by Darling & Co. in Park City, Utah, Cynthia explained to host Elvis Mitchell that the aircraft's service wasn't working for the first couple of minutes after departing.  

However, after taking off, WiFi thankfully came back on - but she said she was so nervous she decided not to search for the nominations list.

'We started taking off and WiFi comes on, so I log into the WiFi,' she recalled of the big moment, according to a DailyMail.com reporter who was in attendance.

Cynthia Erivo has revealed the exact moment she found out she was up for the award for Best Actress at the upcoming Oscars ceremony at the Sundance Film Festival 

She also shared her Wicked costar Ariana Grande 's emotional reaction to her own nomination 

Cynthia is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Elphaba while Ariana is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda in Wicked

'I don’t like to know what’s happening until I know what’s happening, [so] I sort of put my phone away. 

'It’s logged into the WiFi. If it happens, I’m sure I will know because things will come through and I’ll see it.'

When she noticed that 'nothing was happening,' Cynthia said she decided to try to keep herself distracted.

The star - who shared her story at Firewood restaurant in front of an intimate crowd - explained that she decided she'd put on 'some terrible reality show' in the hopes that she would fall asleep.

'I look over [at my phone] and nothing's happening. It’s sort of like 1:45 or something,' she continued. 'This is a nightmare, this is a nightmare!

'And then at like five [minutes] to 2 [am], my phone goes nuts. I had [just] fallen asleep and then woke up and my phone is going off.'

Cynthia recalled how after reading multiple messages from her loved ones congratulating her on the news that she had been nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, she 'preceded to weep.'

'[I] just cried my eyes out. It’s one of those moments where you’re sort of like, I guess I didn’t know how much I wanted it,' she shared.

Cynthia said she found out about her nomination while on an airplane flying from London to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival

She shared her story while speaking to Elvis Mitchell on January 24 at The Elvis Suite presented by Darling & Co. at Firewood in Park City, Utah

'I guess I didn’t know how much it would mean to me. You know how much it means, and then it happens and you really know how much it means.' 

The 'poor flight attendant' even asked her if she was OK due to how emotional she had gotten.

'I’m like, "Yes, these are happy tears,"' she added, explaining that she was given a box of tissues.

The star who plays Elphaba in the hit film continued, 'And then I just spent the whole flight... I couldn’t stop crying. I’m texting my mom because I couldn’t call her, [and] my sister.'

She went on to say her next message was to her costar Ariana, 31. 

'I voice note Ariana and we’re both tearfully crying. We're a mess,' she said of the sweet moment.

Ariana was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part as Glinda in the movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. 

The British actress added, 'And Jonathan Bailey ... just sends the most wonderful text because he was the first person who I [had told that] I didn’t know how much this will mean to me until I knew how much it meant to me.'

Cynthia said she and Ariana were both 'a mess' after learning about their nominations

Cynthia revealed her costar Jonathan Bailey sent her 'the most wonderful text' after he heard about her nomination

'Receiving this just means the world and ... it feels like another step, like a big giant step. Not just in my career but for me,' continued the actress.

'I think it feels like a really important moment in time. I knew it was going to be special but it’s just [gone beyond] me.

'It’s one thing to play a role that people enjoy, it’s one thing to play a role that you love and it’s celebrated. 

'It’s quite another thing to know that you’re playing a role that people also see themselves in and also connect with on a really human level.'

She finished her story by saying how special the fans have been in telling their stories about how her character touched them or their children, and how they 'really feel seen' because of the role she played.

She concluded, 'It’s a different ballgame so to have that being celebrated, [it's] a huge deal.'

The Oscar nominations were announced on January 23 from Los Angeles.

Ariana, like many other stars, took to Instagram to react to landing a coveted spot on the list. 

Ariana shared a throwback photo of herself as Dorothy from Wizard Of Oz as she thanked the Academy for her nomination for Best Supporting Actress on January 23

Sharing a photo of herself as a child in a Dorothy from Wizard Of Oz costume, she began her lengthy note, 'Picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition.

'I cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise. I’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. I’m so proud of you, tiny.

'Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for this acknowledgement @theacademy.

'Thank you @jonmchu for taking this chance on me and for being the most unbelievably brilliant leader, human being, and most fierce friend.'

She also gave a shoutout to Cynthia, writing, 'I am so deeply proud of my beautiful Wicked family. 

'I am so proud of my Elphie, my sister, my dear @cynthiaerivo. your brilliance is never ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden. I love you unconditionally, always.

'I don’t quite have all my words yet, I’m still trying to breathe. But thank you. Oh my goodness, thank you. Universal, Marc, my family, my heart.'

She concluded, 'Lemons and melons and pears, oh my.' 

Ariana's boyfriend Ethan Slater shared a photo of the actress as she celebrated her nomination

Wicked received 10 Oscar nominations. The results will be revealed when the ceremony takes place on March 2 live from Los Angeles

Her boyfriend Ethan Slater, who was also in Wicked as Boq, shared a photo of her holding balloons afterwards.

Ariana is up against Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown, Felicity Jones in The Brutalist, Isabella Rossellini in Conclave, and Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez. 

Meanwhile, other actresses in the Best Actress category, competing against Cynthia, include Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez, Mikey Madison in Anora, Demi Moore in Substance, and Fernanda Torres in I'm Still Here.

Collectively, Wicked received 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

The winners of the 97th Academy Awards will be revealed when the live ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 2, in Los Angeles.