Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had 'no idea' what 'holding space' meant in awkward viral Wicked interview

Too late for second-guessing!

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have broken their silence on the viral interview clip that has become the defining meme of the Wicked press tour.

In the original video, queer journalist and Out reporter Tracy Gilchrist announced that "people have been taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that," to which Erivo responded: "Uh, I didn't know that was happening."

"That's really powerful," she continued awkwardly as Grande silently nodded and gripped one of her costar's fingers.

Now, in a new video fromVariety, the actresses break down that supremely cringey moment.

Erivo began by reiterating that she didn't know that people were "holding space" — "being fully present with someone else, without judgment or distraction, so that the person can share their experiences and perspective," according to Psychology Today — for the beloved song's lyrics. "I haven't been looking," she said. "I mean, it's been happening on some platforms. I mean, I guess. I had no idea that this thing was going on."

Grande was more forthcoming about her total confusion during the Out interview. "So I didn't know what any part of it meant," she told Variety. "I didn't understand the first sentence. And then I definitely didn't understand what was happening — how you [Erivo] responded. I was like, 'Oh, what did she say? What did you hear?' And I just wanted to be there 'cause I knew something big was happening, and I didn't know how to be there."

Erivo then admitted that she, too, was at a loss. "After a while, I didn't know how to be there," the Tony winner said.

Grande then tried to summarize what went awry in the interview. "[Gilchrist] said something that meant something to her, it meant something totally different to you, and then she tried to kind of take it somewhere else," she reflected. "And the craziest thing was, I remember in the moment asking myself, 'Am I okay? Did I not hear something?'"

The "7 Rings" singer also tried to explain why she grabbed (and anxiously tapped) Erivo's finger. "I was like, 'Cause she looks like she's about to cry again. And I'm gonna grab this 'cause I think you might need something,'" she recalled. "And I don't know what the tapping was about, but that happened."

Gilchrist's explanation that she was "in queer media" also confused Erivo. "She'd said that she was seeing it because she was in queer media, and I was like, I honestly didn't know what that meant," the Harriet actress said. "And am I also in queer media maybe? Work. Let's both be there."

Grande took comfort in knowing viewers shared her befuddlement. "I just am glad," she said. "I feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did because I felt like, 'Oh, I'm not broken.'"

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Erivo added that she's happy the moment has become a cultural touchstone. "I do love how the world has, like, gone with it," she said. "I love that it's become vernacular now, which is really fun, that people are constantly saying, 'We're really holding space with that.' I want a T-shirt with 'Holding space with that.'"

Concluded Grande, "The best thing to do is, really, to hold space with that."

Wicked is in theaters now. Watch its witches hold space for "holding space" in the full video above.

Updated: This article has been updated with a definition from Psychology Today.