Ariana Grandewill put a whole new spin onPopularthis fall. And while Grande is known worldwide as a renowned singing sensation, the artist will be leaving her pop star persona behind when she appears as Glinda the Good Witch in the big-screen adaptation of the Tony award-winning musical,Wicked. Grande said during an interview on theZach Sang Show:
I have never wanted something as badly as I did this. And I tried to use that to take lessons every single day while I was doing the voice and get ready for these auditions. I trained every day.
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Ariana said in the same sit-down:
“[Training] to transform my voice, even like my singing voice… everything about me. I kind of had to deconstruct to prove to them that I could handle taking on this other person. I kind of had to completely erase pop star Ari — the person that they know so well because like it’s even harder to believe someone as someone else when you’re so branded as one thing. So, I kind of had to really go all the way to strip that down and come into my callback with no make-up, my hair down — like I looked 11 years old. I really, really worked hard for it.”
Taking Up Glinda’s Magical Mantle
While they’re not the fabled ruby red slippers, Ariana Grande still has enormous shoes to fill as she takes up the mantle of Glinda the Good Witch in director Jon. M Chu’sWickedadaptation. The actress who first portrayed Glinda in the original 2003 Broadway production, Kristin Chenoweth, was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Tony after playingthe one person who doesMourn the Wickedon stage. But Grande is one who prides herself on her Broadway roots. Grande said in the same interview:
“I am a person who started on Broadway, and I’ve always been a musical theatre person. I’ve always been an actress — I missed acting. I really spent a lot of time on tour and cranking out these albums and following the incredible response to my pop music. It was the most incredible blessing ever, but it kind of took over in a way that that human Ari wasn’t sure she planned for. And I think having so much time with a character [Glinda], instead of this caricaturized version of myself… it was really nice.”
Wicked is Defying Gravity with Super Bowl Trailer for Wizard of Oz Prequel
The first trailer for Wicked is here, delivering a teasing look at the epic musical story of the witches of Oz.
Grande added:
“I really loved being able to put my craft, I suppose, to the test in different ways. I think the space was really healthy. And again, playing a character that I learned so much from […] yeah, in life, but also it just made this so much richer. Like, it made coming home to music feel so much better. And I think that balance is something that I’m really going to want to maintain moving forward. I think it’s just nice.”
Wickedis slated to open in theaters on November 27, whileWicked: Part Twowill drop almost a year lateron June 28, 2025. And fans can check out Grande’s interview on theZach Sang Showin its entirety below:
