The 32-year-old singer, who has expressed his obsession with the world of “Wizard of Oz” since the start of his career, went to great lengths to please the film’s producers.
What if singer Ariana Grande was gifted with the magical powers of Glinda, the kind witch she plays Wicked ? The 32-year-old American star stars in the second part of this musical comedy adaptation, in cinemas from Wednesday 19 November, a year after the box office success of the first work. A consecration to interpretersInto you And Side to Side who has never made a secret of his fascination with fantastic stories drawn from this universe Wizard of Oz. And his burning desire to participate in feature films.
Years before a big screen adaptation was planned, the young artist shared a foreboding message on Twitter in 2011, following the play’s Broadway run: “I’m happy to see him again Wicked… What a production! It reminded me how much I dreamed of playing Glinda someday in my life.” At that time, Ariana Grande had not yet entered the world of music. Her audience, which mostly consists of children and teenagers, knows her for her role in the series Successful. In one of the episodes, the character she plays disguises herself as Dorothy, the heroine Wizard of Oz.
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Before becoming a global pop star who released seven albums and collaborated with Lady Gaga and The Weeknd, Ariana Grande started her career in the world of theater. A trajectory driven in part by his meeting, at age 10, with his original troupe Wicked. Backstage, the little boy talked to Kristin Chenoweth, who plays the witch Glinda on stage. “Her mother and grandmother accompanied her and she sang Popular“one part of the play, explores an actress in an American show. “I told him, ‘You are really great.’”recalled Kristin Chenoweth. “It was truly magical”recalled Ariana Grande in another interview, saying she received a magic wand from the actress.
In 2008, at just 14 years old, she landed the role of cheerleader in the musical 13. “Many people don’t know it, but theater is my soul, my heart”he told in an interview in 2016. In the same year, he played in the television adaptation of the musical Hairspray!. The singer’s discography is also full of musicals. 7 Ringswhich is one of his biggest hits, inspired by a title from Sound of Music. And Popular Songsone of his first singles, released in 2013, was an explicit reference to Wicked. In his duet with Mika, he takes the melody Popular. Five years later, he performed another key song from the play, Witch and mein the program celebrating 15 years Wicked on Broadway.
Throughout her career, Ariana Grande has continued to fulfill her dream of wearing the Wizard of Oz costume, on stage or on the big screen. In a 2013 interview, she imagined herself playing Glinda. Six years later, in another interview, this time she projected herself into the character of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. “I would do anything. I would show up in front of a producer’s studio every morning, coffee in hand, waiting for them to notice me”the singer lit up.
When the first rumors about a Universal Studios-led film spread in Hollywood in the late 2010s, the star put his plans into action. “As soon as I heard it (…), I told myself and told my team that I want to be over-prepared” for the audition, he recalled in November 2024, on “The Tonight Show”, during the promotion of the first part Wicked. “I want to take every acting class, every singing class, I want to train my voice to reach the coloratura soprano like in opera,” emphasized the artist. “I immediately wanted to be this character. I gave it my all and put off the rest”he said again.
“Vocally, it was very different from what I usually sing, so I started practicing every day with my vocal coach for two and a half months, three months before my first audition.”
Ariana Grandein November 2024, during “Wicked” promotions
Despite her pop star status, Ariana Grande is working to join the production. This is because the director, Jon Chu, first thought of entrusting Glinda’s character to a more experienced actress. “I don’t believe he could do that.”he admitted it Vanity Fair. The filmmakers also intended to focus on a less expected figure: “It feels too easy.” to choose it.
The singer did not flinch and went through a marathon casting process: “In August 2021, I had my first audition and I was called back, then I was called back, then I shot a test with two different actresses.” “Maybe knowing that so many people didn’t believe in me or didn’t believe I could do it (…) influenced me”he defended in an interview for Mode. “I put all that aside and focused on the job I’d dreamed of since I was 10 years old. I believed in myself then, so why not believe in me as a little girl instead of them?”
Her involvement ultimately convinced Jon Chu, who recalled Ariana Grande hanging around in the car in front of the studio for several minutes before her audition appointment. “Every time he came in, he was the most attractive person. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.” Images released at the time of the first film’s release showed the singer crying when she finally got the role.
In recognition of her film debut, her performance in the first part, received a standing ovation from critics and the public, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. “Pop stars can shine in anything if they find the right role. (Ariana) Grande was born for this role”incense Variationwho praises “His delivery of sentences is spicy and impactful” as “one of the advantages of this film”. Although the first film grossed more than $750 million worldwide, Universal had big ambitions for this second installment. Through excessive promotional operations, the studio intends to make every effort so that its good fairy can enchant the Academy Oscar and win the statue.
