Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning, stars of the upcoming film "A Complete Unknown," have embraced internet culture by recreating a viral moment from a recent interview with the "Wicked" cast. The duo playfully reenacted the now-famous "holding space" exchange, generating buzz ahead of their movie's release.
The original interaction involved Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, stars of the "Wicked" adaptation, who were interviewed by The Advocate's Tracy Gilchrist. During the interview, Gilchrist told the "Wicked" stars that fans were "really holding space" with the lyrics of the song "Defying Gravity," leading to an emotional response from Erivo and a comforting gesture from Grande. This prompted an online frenzy, with the phrase and the moment becoming a viral meme.
Capitalizing on the internet's fascination with the moment, Gilchrist recently interviewed Chalamet and Fanning and began by playfully telling them, "First, I just want to let you know that I am holding space for you." Chalamet and Fanning responded with humor, stating they were "starstruck" to meet her.
Subsequently, Chalamet took it a step further by holding out his index finger for Fanning to squeeze, mirroring Grande's interaction with Erivo. This recreation was met with laughter from Gilchrist and further cemented the playful nature of their interview.
Elle Fanning, who portrays a fictional character inspired by Bob Dylan's girlfriend Suze Rotolo in "A Complete Unknown," acknowledged that their attempt to recreate the moment was unlikely to outdo the original. She admitted to Gilchrist, "There’s nothing that we can do that can trump what happened."
Notably, Ariana Grande herself has confessed to being perplexed by the "holding space" comment. She revealed in a recent video that she was unsure of what it meant at the time. Chalamet and Fanning’s playful reference thus adds another layer to the internet's ongoing fascination with the original interaction.
