In November 2021, Ariana Grande announced that she was starring in Jon M. Chu's upcoming Wicked film adaptation, alongside Cynthia Arvo. Recently, The Voice judge revealed that she's not releasing new music to prioritize filming.
She also admitted that she was "nervous" just talking about the new project despite manifesting it over a decade ago and going "into full preparation mode" to score the role of Gilda. Here's a closer look at her Wicked journey so far.
Ariana Grande Manifested Her Dream 'Wicked' Role 10 Years Ago
The Positions singer has been preparing to play Gilda for years. In December 2011, an 18-year-old Ariana tweeted that it was her dream role. "Loved seeing Wicked again... amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole," she wrote.
She's also been friends with the original stage actress behind Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth since she was 10. The young Broadway fanatic, along with her grandmother, had come backstage to meet the theater star.
"[Her Nona] said, 'Well, this is my granddaughter, Ari, and she also likes to sing,'" Kristin recalled of the encounter. "And I said, 'Oh, that's so sweet.' And she goes, 'Sing something for her, Ariana. Sing.' Ariana sang a little something, and I was like, 'Holy crap. She's really good.'" She then gave young Ari a replica wand from the production and told her to "follow your passion." They've stayed in touched since and even collaborated on some projects. Recently, Kristin became a team advisor for Ariana on The Voice.
In 2020, the Don't Look Up star expressed how she desperately wanted to be part of the production. "I don't really have many dream roles. I already got to play Penny in Hairspray. Elphaba [from Wicked] and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, those are my two dream roles," Ariana told Zach Sang at the time. "I would do anything. I would stand outside of the producers' office with coffee waiting for them to acknowledge me, begging to sing Defying Gravity for them."
Why Ariana Grande Was Cast As Glinda In 'Wicked' Film Adaptation
It was a divisive decision to give Ariana the role of Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie. Many just think she's not much of an actress and is more of the pop star we know. However, Kristin thinks it's a solid casting choice.
"I love her so much; I've known her since she was 10. I think that crown and wand are going to the exact correct person, and I think she's gonna nail it," she explained. "Maybe some people do know this about Ari, but she's really, really funny. And Glinda has to do funny and drama, she has to do it all. And sing high and sing low. And so, there's the girl. I did cry when she got it."
The original Elphaba actress, Idina Menzel has previously sent her best wishes to Ariana and Cynthia via Twitter. "Congrats to two amazing women," wrote the Frozen star. "May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love. @cynthiaerivo @arianagrande."
Jon has also praised Ariana's unique take on the role. "We have a great team, and we're coming up with some great stuff," the director told CinemaBlend. "And when you see Cynthia sing the songs, and when you see Ariana singing these songs, they interpret it in a way that I've never experienced Wicked before. It means something different."
How Ariana Grande Is Preparing For Upcoming 'Wicked' Film
In May 2022, Ariana told her fans in a Q&A video for her R.E.M. Beauty YouTube channel that she's been "spending all [her] time with Glinda." She even confessed to being "nervous" just talking about it.
"This is a question I'm nervous to answer, but I feel like I want to have a little bit of transparency and honesty with my fans," she said in the video. "The truth is, I have not begun an album," noting that it's due to her current commitments with Wicked.
"I know. I hear through the grapevine that you have a lot of theories and expectations in that department but, after Positions, [I] was not ready to start another album yet. So I have not begun another album," she continued, adding that she "went into full preparation mode" for the movie but still has a lot to learn about her role. "I know the material like the back of my hand, but I still have so much to learn. I went pretty hard getting ready."
She's given it "every piece of me, every minute, every ounce of my heart, my time, my everything that I can give it ... I am spending all my time with Glinda," that's why her "hands are quite full," said the Excuse Me, I Love You star. Wicked is set to be released in two parts on December 25, 2024, and on the same day the following year.
