Former Elphaba Lindsay Mendez Praises Cynthia Erivo in ‘Wicked: For Good’ (Exclusive)

Cynthia Erivo defied gravity and all of Lindsay Mendez’s expectations with her latest portrayal of a character they both hold close to their hearts.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE during a special New York City screening of Merrily We Roll Along, the Tony Award-winning actress, 42, praised Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked: For Good.

“I loved it,” Mendez said, reacting to the second part of 2024’s Wicked. “I think Cynthia is a goddess, and she’s incredible, and Ariana [Grande]’s incredible.”

“It hit all my Wicked notes,” she continued. “It was phenomenal, and the fact that people are going to movies and seeing movie musicals is everything I could wish for.”

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Wicked is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which draws inspiration from the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which was in turn inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels, as well as the 1939 Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz.

Mendez starred as Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) on Broadway from 2013 to 2014. Idina Menzel originated the role — and Kristin Chenoweth did the same for Glinda (a.k.a. Glinda the Good Witch of the North) — when Wicked began performances in 2003.

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Others who have portrayed Elphaba on Broadway over the years include Stephanie J. Block, Shoshana Bean, Kerry Ellis and Jessica Vosk, to name a few. Lencia Kebede currently stars in the role, making her the first Black actress to play Elphaba full-time on Broadway.

Ervio brings life to Elphaba in Wicked and its follow-up film, with Grande, 32, starring opposite her as Glinda.

During Wicked: One Wonderful Night, Erivo revealed that she developed a fever of 103 degrees over the course of her three-hour audition for Elphaba.

“Whatever I had left was in that room,” the Oscar-nominated actress said during the recently aired NBC special.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Little Canfield, the Wicked movies’ casting directors, recalled that Erivo “just nailed” her audition despite her illness, adding: “She did it, and she defied gravity.”

Wicked: For Good is in theaters now, while Wicked is available to purchase and stream.