Ariana Grande reveals she and Cynthia Erivo compared Wicked contracts

Ariana Grande has told how she and Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo compared contracts before signing.

The star revealed the pair spoke to each other to ensure they were both happy before signing on the dotted line.

"When I got my contract, I called her and was like, 'Hey, let's go through this thing. Let's go beat by beat through this together and make sure we are aligned in what we need,'" Ariana said in an interview at a SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversation series.

"If Cynthia needs something, we need it together. I want us to have each other's backs. Your problems become my problems and mine become yours."

She also spoke about the bond between her and Cynthia, and how they became friends before filming started on the movie.

"We got to start building that trust and that relationship long before we even got to our first day on set because we were cast in 2021 and there was a lot of waiting before we got to London," said the 31-year-old.

"We talk a lot about this pact that we made to take care of each other and to be really honest with each other about anything that were to come up, but I don't think people get how granular we got."

Ariana's comments come after rumours started circulating that she had been paid $15 million (£11.8 million) for her role in the film, while Cynthia, 37, had only earned $1 million. (£780,000)

Universal was forced to respond to the allegations, denying any pay discrepancy between the two women.

"Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder," they said in a statement. "The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked."