Cynthia Erivo fans praise ‘hero’ Wicked star for rescuing Ariane Grande from red carpet ambush as her lightning fast reaction earns a flood of memes and comparison to Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard

Cynthia Erivo’s lightning-quick reactions after saving her close friend and co-star Ariana Grande from an overexcited fan on Thursday earned her a ton of memes.

The actresses are currently embarking on a world tour in support of their new film, Wicked: For Good, the second of three planned prequels to The Wizard of Oz.

But Thursday’s Singapore premiere went awry when Grande was ambushed by an overenthusiastic fan while walking the red carpet outside Universal Studios.

Luckily, her co-star Erivo, 38, was on hand to save her from the melee that followed, with many fans comparing her moves to those of Kevin Costner in the Hollywood blockbuster The Bodyguard.

Taking to Instagram on Friday morning, fans praised the British actress for risking her own safety while helping her co-star.

Sharing a short video of the incident, one commented: ‘This is friendship. WOW. Beauty is a scary thing, but does having a friend like this spark action? I feel like the protection has been rebooted!

Thursday’s Singapore premiere went awry after Grande was ambushed by an overenthusiastic fan while walking the red carpet outside Universal Studios.

‘PS There was too much security. How did this happen?’

Commenting on the post, a second fan added: ‘This is a true friend. ‘He didn’t even think he was taking action to protect himself.’

Elsewhere, a third joked: ‘Cynthia was Fabulous! If he needs a job other than Security Deputy, that’s his job.’

A fourth wrote: ‘Girl, if there’s one thing you won’t do, it’s meet your Capricorn’s friend in front of him. Mama Bear Mode in nanoseconds…’ [sic]

Sharing a photo of the actress looking angry as she wrapped a protective arm around Grande, another commented: ‘Cynthia Erivo is a 6-fold threat: Singer, Actress, Dancer, Writer, Model, PROTECTION. As if I couldn’t love him more.’

In the filmed incident, which was widely shared online, the man appears to attack Grande and put his arm around her as she tried to escape in front of Universal Studios Singapore.

Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the film, tried to block him by jumping between her friend and the man, well ahead of security, seemingly yelling something at him.

Moments later, a group of security guards at the event ushered her away, leaving a visibly shaken Grande relieved by her co-star.

Erivo’s heroics (left) have been compared to Kevin Costner’s actions in the Hollywood blockbuster The Bodyguard (right).

Taking to Instagram on Friday morning, fans showered praise on the British actress, who risked her own safety while helping her co-star

He was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts and had his distinctive long black hair with blue dyed streaks.

He was quickly identified as Australian red carpet crash celebrity Johnson Wen, also known online as the Pajama Man.

Wen shared videos after similarly addressing other celebrities during their concerts, including Katy Perry, The Weeknd, and electronic duo The Chainsmokers.

She later posted clips of the moment on her Instagram Story and wrote: ‘Dear Ariana Grande Thank you for letting me Jump on the Yellow Carpet with You.’

Eerie videos taken before he jumped over the barricade to see Grande show him telling her it was his ‘dream’ to meet the actress.

Standing under a poster of the actress from Wicked, she says: ‘I feel like I’m in a dream. This is my best friend Ariana Grande and I’m going to meet her. I was daydreaming about this before bursting into theatrical laughter.

Following the performance, Wen claimed that Grande was “free” after fans watched her being taken to the ground by security.

Wen previously vowed to stop invading celebrity venues when he was accused of disrupting Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June.

Thursday’s Singapore premiere went awry after Grande was ambushed by an overenthusiastic fan while walking the red carpet outside Universal Studios.

The overly excited fan was quickly identified as Australian red carpet crash celebrity Johnson Wen, also known online as the Pajama Man.

He was charged with two crimes: trespassing and obstructing a person in the performance of his or her work or duties.

The joker was released on conditional bail and will appear at Burwood Local Court on June 23.

Wen was also issued a notice banning him from entering the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct for six months.

He was fined $250 for dangling from a pedestrian bridge in Brisbane in 2020 and was also fined $220 for encroaching on a pitch at a rugby union match in 2021.

In his Instagram bio, he boasts of being the ‘most hated troll’ and the ‘2023 World Cup Final Venue Invader’.

Grande and her co-stars were in good spirits moments before the incident, walking hand in hand across the crowded carpet

Following the incident, Grande grabbed Erivo’s arm, looking worried, as she walked the red carpet.

He told 9News at the time that he did it for fun and loved the thrill of getting on stage.

Wen said: ‘So I said ‘let me go on stage with you’ and then he said [Katy Perry] He went crazy because he realized I wasn’t an artist. ‘I was about to do some extra Fortnite moves but security got there real quick.’

The prankster, who insists he is not a threat, has also made attacks at the Paris Olympics, the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the men’s Cricket World Cup final in India.

‘I just got out there and the moment it was taken over I was in big trouble,’ he said of the invasion in India.

Grande later broke her silence to thank her Singaporean fans with an Instagram post

Wen, who is unemployed and last known to have been living in a backpacker hostel, is said to have been fined $20,000, according to the publication.

At the time, she said she planned to stop disrupting red carpets and stages, saying: ‘I plan on quitting forever because you get in a lot of trouble for that, especially me, because I’ve done it so many times.’

In December last year, Wen walked on stage during The Chainsmokers’ set at the Palm Tree Festival in Sydney and security pulled her legs out from under her to stop her.

Over the summer, the Instagrammer invaded the stage during The Weeknd’s Melbourne show; This incident led to the R&B singer losing his headphones.