Ahead of the release of Wicked: Part 1 this weekend, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have embarked on one of the most bizarre press tours in recent memory: there’s been a lot of hand-holding, a lot of intense gazes, a lot of crying (we hope they’re ok.) The best interview yet – a surrealist masterpiece with a feverish, dream-like quality – went viral yesterday (November 21). In it, Out magazine’s Tracey E. Gilchrist tells Erivo, “I’ve seen this week people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space in that, and feeling power in that.” Despite the fact that this statement is literally nonsensical, Eviro appears to be deeply moved by it. “I didn’t know that was happening… that’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted,“ she replies.

Everything about the video is great: the therapy-speak gibberish of “holding space”; Eviro’s awed reaction; the string music swelling in the background; Grande nodding solemnly with an “I’m here for you” expression as she strokes Evero’s fingers, and best of all, the fact that the interview walks back her initial claim: “I’ve seen a couple of posts,” she clarifies. It feels like it’s taking the genre of “uplifting viral video” into the realm of pure abstraction, shorn of any real content or comprehensible signifiers. 

Maybe they’re right about the power of ‘Defying Gravity’ though. During these dark times, don’t we all find ourselves in the same position as Elpheba, forced to choose between doing what’s right and what’s easy, between collaborating with an evil wizard (President-elect Donald Trump) or taking to our brooms to fight? If we hold enough space for ‘Defying Gravity’ and truly feel the power in it, maybe – just maybe – we’ll find a way to endure. Maybe we, too, could soar. 

Exquisite as this interview was, it was just the latest in a long line of strange moments from the press tour. When a fan edited one of the film’s official posters – hiding Eviro’s eyes so that it looked more like the original Broadway poster – she hit back on social media, describing it as “the wildest most offensive thing I’ve ever seen… to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me.” For a lot of fans, this seemed like a slight overreaction. 

Earlier this month, Mattel was forced to apologise after accidentally printing the address to a porn website on its Wicked dolls, instead of the movie’s official site (Wicked.com versus WickedMovie.com – in fairness, an easy mistake to make.)

But as they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity – at the very least, people are talking about the film, and while it’s not quite Barbie level, it’s begun to take on the feeling of a cultural moment. Best of all – or worst of all, depending on your perspective – we can look forward to another round of interviews and gaffes when Part 2 is released next year.