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NEED TO KNOW
Cynthia Erivo is the author of Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much
In a chapter called "Make a Pact," the actress recalls meeting and resolving to support Ariana Grande soon after they were cast in the two-part Wicked movie adaptations
"We committed to protecting and caring for each other through this process," Erivo writes in the book
Cynthia Erivolearned the power of collaboration with herWickedcostarAriana Grande.
In hernew bookSimply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much, now available for purchase, the British actress, 38, shares the life lessons learned on and off screen and stage. In a chapter titled "Make a Pact," she recalls embarking on directorJon M. Chu's movie adaptations of Broadway hitWickedalongside Grande, 32.
"BeforeWickedreally started rolling, Ariana and I made a pact with each other," writes Erivo. "We committed to protecting and caring for each other through this process. We hear often how female costars — or really, any costars — can sometimes let their egos get in the way until they battle each other, destroying the creative process for everyone involved. We were determined to do the opposite."
Flatiron Books
Erivo recalls the dinner that Chu, 46, organized for the core team involved in bringingWickedfrom the stage to the screen: screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, composer-lyricistStephen Schwartz, music director and arranger Stephen Oremus, producerMarc Plattand Grande. It marked the first time that Erivo and Grande met and began developing their portrayals of Oz's witches Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
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The two actresses "had not sung… together before, and we were about to do it with others present to hear us," Erivo recalls of the moment they sang "For Good" with Schwartz, 77, accompanying on the piano. "It was astonishing. Our two very distinct voices somehow found each other and became one."
She continues, "If we could sing like that without having done it before, if we could make magic with absolutely no practice, if we could combine our voices this powerfully in front of a room of people — with nothing, no makeup, no costumes — then we could really do this."
That's why Erivo made a pact with Grande, she explains further inSimply More: "We were always looking out for each other. Our partnership was important. We shared a strong synergy, a commitment to authenticity, and that, combined with the natural connection we fostered both on and off set, allowed us to support each other emotionally and professionally."
That went for "good moments" and "for those that were a little more complicated, a little tough," she writes. "The fact that we were consistently there for the other, over time, built deep trust. And that trust and togetherness created a level of honesty and intimacy that allowed us to actually make a film as special as this one."
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The Oscar nominee concludes, "Just as part ofWickedis a story about two women learning how to love each other, so we practiced the same in our own lives, on camera and off. We made each other family."
Simply Moreis available wherever books are sold via Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers. "Making the decision to be fully who you are, whilst staying open to the vast possibilities of growth and expansion within oneself is sometimes a scary thing to do," Erivo told PEOPLE of writing the book earlier this month. "So with this book, I was hoping to provide a little encouragement to anyone who is asking themselves and challenging themselves to be simply more."
Wicked: For Good, the second of Chu's two-part movie adaptation, is now in theaters. Go behind the scenes of the sequel with PEOPLE's new special issue,available here.
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