Ariana Grande is expressing a widely held view. The 31-year-old actress has shared her thoughts on the dynamic between her character Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in the recently released “Wicked” movie. Grande pointed out that their friendship could be seen as a queer allegory, along with other elements of the film and its source material, “The Wizard of Oz.”

In an interview with Gay Times published Thursday, the singer remarked that the two characters create “such a safe space for one another.” She added, “Which is what all relationships should be. So, whether it’s romantic or platonic — Glinda might be a little in the closet — but if there were a time, you never know. Give it a little more time.”

Grande continued, “Every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade, right? Even the chickens… those chickens are gay.” She also highlighted Peter Dinklage’s Dr. Dillamond, the goat history professor at Shiz University, as a “gay icon.” “I mean, Dr. Dillamond in that Bode cardigan … Let’s talk about it,” she teased. “Let’s just talk for a minute about him and his custom tea device as well. With his tea and his cardigan, I’m just throwing it out there!”

As many fans have shipped the characters over the years, Grande explained, “It is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality. It’s just a deep safety within each other.” Kristin Chenoweth, who played the Good Witch in the original Broadway “Wicked,” also commented on the theory, saying, “I thought so too way back when…”

Cynthia Erivo, 37, shared her thoughts with Gay Times, stating, “She goes wherever the wind blows.” Erivo added, “I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection that both of them have.”

Both stars emphasized that the queer allegories extend beyond their characters. Grande noted that the most frequently used word in the original L. Frank Baum books was “queer.” “Oz is just a celebration of uniqueness,” she mused. “And everyone is so beautiful in Oz, and I don’t think it even is a conscious decision. Everyone is just so beautifully queer.”

Grande, who is currently dating her “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, previously revealed that part one of the project concludes with Glinda and Elphaba having “truly fallen in love with each other.” She told the BBC, “[They] get the chance to say, ‘I see it for you and I love you.’ ‘And I don’t agree, but I love you and I want it for you.'”

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