Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Turn Casual Screening Chaos into a Moment of Care

1 November 2025

Cynthia Erivo, Tricia Mpisi, and Ariana Grande at a 'Wicked' screening. Tricia Mpisi/Instagram

At an early preview screening of Wicked (2024), South African influencer Tricia Mpisi found herself in an unexpectedly panicked situation when a glass of champagne broke during a group photo and splashed into her face and eyes, mixing with mascara and causing a burning stinging sensation.

Mpisi recounted in a TikTok video that she had been excited for the film’s premiere and the moment of the photo felt like a celebration until the glass shattered. “I looked down, and I see something break, and then before you know it, I feel something warm go into my eyes,” she explained. The alcohol-mascara mixture left her temporarily blind, disoriented and fearful.

It was in that moment that actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande stepped in. Mpisi describes Erivo taking her by the arm, guiding her into a chair and offering calm reassurance: “You’re gonna be okay.” Grande then gently wiped Mpisi’s eyes and hands, offered to cancel the premiere so Mpisi could go home and change, and stayed with her until they both saw her smile again.

Mpisi emphasized how deeply this act of kindness affected her, especially in contrast to her experiences back home in South Africa “where people will literally watch someone get mugged and be like ‘Eh, not my problem.’” She said that what Erivo and Grande did “turned one of the most embarrassing moments into one of the most memorable, human moments of my life.”

Though her dress was ruined and her eyes were burning, Mpisi said the support made all the difference. “Ariana was like ‘Oh don’t worry, we can cancel the premiere’ … I started to laugh,” she recalled. Erivo reportedly made sure the alcohol was wiped away and that Mpisi was free of residue before she watched the movie.

What emerges from this incident is less about the film and more about how two stars acted when things went wrong. The public usually sees the red-carpet glamour or the press tour moments, but this interaction offers a glimpse of something genuine: empathy, attention and the simple human act of being present. It also underlines the weight of celebrity behaviour in moments not captured for broadcast how a kind gesture can ripple outward and become part of someone’s story rather than just the end of someone else’s photo op.

For Erivo and Grande the moment aligns with their public personas actors playing powerful roles in a major franchise but the kindness shown in private offers a different dimension to their professional images. For Mpisi the memory is likely to remain defined not by what she watched, but by what happened in the lobby: the fear, the care, the relief.

In a world saturated with celebrity headlines about spectacle, brand deals and social-media stunts, this moment stands out because it is quiet, immediate and real. The anecdote reminds us that even in a premiere event, human vulnerability is ever present and how someone responds to it can matter far beyond the flashbulbs flashing at the front door.