‘I saw the handles break’: John M. Chu on that terrible moment that had everyone crying on set (and of course Cynthia Erivo was involved)

There are many reasons to visit John M. Chu film adaptation Mean, the most important of them is interpretations of this star cast from some iconic songs. Once the movie started airing, people couldn’t stop watching it admiring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo live vocal performances. This guarantees unforgettable and emotional moments, especially if you were on set during filming and a chorus of birds joined you.

I recently spoke with John M. Chu himself and described his greatest “goosebumps moment” during production Meantold the beautiful story of how Cynthis Erivo as Elphaba sang one of the most emotional songs from the musical “I’m Not That Girl” with the help of some feathered friends:

One of the goosebump moments was “I’m Not That Girl.” Cynthia sings, of course. And in that opening moment, if you watch it, it feels like the music is coming out of nowhere. We haven’t actually heard. It’s only in her ears unless I put on headphones. So I hear this little echo in this giant forest that we built on the sound stage, and the birds have made nests in these things. And every time she sang, these birds sang because they were somehow attached to her voice.
John M. Chu

Wow, talk about a fairy tale moment! It looks like this performance was straight from home The Sleeping Beauty. Cynthia Erivohis voice attracts a chorus of living birds, and mine would probably knock them to the ground. The silence on set could only have helped the impact of such a moment, without the sounds of pre-recorded instruments drowning out the chirps and bleats. John M. Chu further explained:

But her singing was so quiet that everyone was… I saw the hugs loosen and I knew something special was happening. That we all really identify with the fact that we’re not that girl, we’re not the person who’s going to get this or that. I love it when you listen to this song over and over again and it changes the context, and Cynthia is very good at that.
John M. Chu

Hearing John M. Chu’s passion for the task at hand, we can only assume that this is a major component of what makes Mean great movie. Our official Mean review gave the film a perfect 5/5 stars, critics never cease to rave about it, and if that wasn’t enough, even the original Glinda herself Kristin Chenoweth expressed her approval. This production he had a lot of haters and I saw your fair share of controversy, but now, just days before the film’s theatrical release, we can be sure that these are the obstacles that John M. Chu and co. managed to overcome.

You can see Mean for yourself on November 22! We’ll see who comes out on top between this and Gladiator II In fight for box office supremacy this weekend. This is only the first movie, and the second one will be released in November 2025, so get ready for the whole year Mean mania! At this point, either get on board or get off along the way and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest news Mean news.