Ariana Grande has responded to criticism over her casting as Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked.
The 31-year-old music artist – who is currently promoting the film in Sydney, Australia – appeared on a recent episode of the Sentimental men podcast and discussed her role with hosts Quincy Brown and Kevin Bianchi.
When explaining the audition process, she said she felt pressure to overcome the “challenge” of letting go of her pop star image.
“I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the kind of preconceived notions about what I might or might not be able to deliver, or why I might be wrong [for the role] or whatever,” Ariana admitted.
While mentioning two of her hit songs, she imagined a critic’s perspective: “If I had gone from Side to Side, I probably would have said the same thing.” I probably would have said, “Why the hell? Kill me. I’ve been waiting twenty years for this. Kill me.” I would have said that as an outside fan. Knowing only seven rings, I’d probably say, “Well, that’s nonsense.” So you know, I get it.”
Ariana Grande has responded to criticism over her casting as Galinda in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked
The singer appeared on the Sentimental Men podcast and said she understands the criticism of her casting in the upcoming film
“This is what I loved about auditioning for Wicked,” she explained. ‘It has to be earned. Everything on this scale, as part of anything, is not given just because they only know you for one thing.
“So it’s fun to have the challenge of reframing people’s perceptions and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces.”
The Florida native studied musical theater since the age of eight and was a longtime fan of the musical, which originally starred Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, before landing the role.
Grande understood that fans would have high expectations for her in the role.
Wicked follows Elphaba – played by Cynthia Erivo – and Glinda as they meet at Shiz University and share a life-changing encounter with Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard of Oz.
Universal tapped Chu to direct the beloved story in 2021.
The first of two Wicked episodes will hit theaters on November 22, 2024, with the sequel premiering about a year later on November 21, 2025.
Ariana shared promotional posts on Instagram this weekend from the start of her press tour.
Ariana shared promotional posts on Instagram this weekend from the start of her press tour
She described herself and co-star Cynthia as “two best friends” in a Stories post
Grande made sure to subtly pay tribute to friend and co-star Ethan Slater when she tagged him in a photo of him holding her Vivienne Westwood dress
A photo in a carousel post showed her heading to the film’s Sydney premiere in a custom-made pink Vivienne Westwood dress.
She wrote to her online audience: “There really are no words. I’ve missed you all. Thank you for welcoming us with so much warmth and love. What a special way to start this tour.’
Grande also made sure to subtly pay tribute to friend and co-star Ethan Slater when she tagged him in a photo of him holding her Vivienne Westwood dress
And she reshared a post from a fan account to mark the third anniversary of the day her casting was announced when Glinda was announced.