Ariana Grande has apologised for ‘offending’ Elvira after the 80s horror actress made claims about her backstage behaviour.
The Mistress Of The Dark star, 73, real name Cassandra Peterson, claimed the Wicked actress, 31, ‘snubbed’ her during a question and answer panel in California.
Cassandra said she gave Ariana around 20 tickets to her show several years ago and, while backstage, she asked for pictures with ‘all of her friends and relatives.’
‘I take a picture with every single one of them. I sign autographs for every single one of them,’ Cassandra said during the panel, which she later posted on Instagram.
‘Then I say to her “Can we take a photo together” and she goes “No, I’d rather not”… and then she left before my show started, all her relatives stayed.’
At the end of the video, Cassandra laughs when someone on stage said ‘she’s playing the wrong witch’ – referencing Ariana’s role in the film adaption of Wicked in which she plays Glinda, the Good Witch of the South.
Ariana has since said she was ‘disheartened’ to see Cassandra’s comments.
‘I actually don’t even remember getting the chance to meet you because I had an anxiety attack and to my memory, left before the rest of my family (this was around seven years ago and at the time I was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places),’ the 7 Rings singer commented on her Instagram post.
‘But if I’m misremembering this moment, I sincerely apologise for offending you so.
‘Thank you for being so nice to my mum, she told me how lovely you were (she might have different feelings about that now but I’ll talk to her…clearly, we all have our days!)’
Ariana signed off the post with ‘sending love always’, adding ‘you’ll always be our queen of Halloween.’
It comes after the thank u, next singer weighed in on a debate concerning a Wicked poster featuring her and Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, ahead of the film’s release on November 22.
Fans were torn earlier this month when a new poster for the Jon M.] Chu adaptation of the hit Broadway musical was released, giving a modern take on the 2003 play’s most iconic picture.
Thi led to fans recreating their own image, which Cynthia labelled as ‘degrading’ as it removed what she was trying to achieve in the poster by making eye contact with the audience.
Addressing the controversy, Ariana told Variety: ‘I think it’s very complicated because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s just kind of such a massive adjustment period.
‘This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits.’
Ariana, who was at the Academy Museum Gala when she responded to the backlash, was also asked if she thinks fans can go ‘too far’, to which she said ‘I think so. And I have so much respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I love her so much.
‘It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s so much stimulation about something that’s so much bigger than us.’
The highly anticipated film is set to land in UK theatres on November 22 almost 10 years after the film adaption was first announced in 2016.
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