Ariana Grande reveals intense preparation for Glinda role in ‘Wicked’
Ariana Grande was preparing to be Glinda way before she had the role in ‘Wicked’
Ariana Grande collected Glinda-themed wardrobe pieces way before she had the role in Wicked.
Ariana shared with People that she “had a little portion of my closet that was all just little pink tops and stuff, just in case” she got her dream role as Glinda.
“I was like, ‘What underwear would Glinda wear today?’ ” the Side to Side hitmaker quipped.
Getting candid about her hard work to get the role, she said: “I had been chasing [producer] Marc Platt down for about 10 years, wondering when this movie was going to happen, when I would have the opportunity to audition.”
“As soon as I heard that maybe in a few months they might start seeing people, I was like, ‘Great! Now’s the time I’m starting,’ ” she confessed.
She also shared that during her first audition, she sang both Glinda and Elphaba’s songs, including Popular, No One Mourns the Wicked, Defying Gravity and The Wizard and I.
She shared: “Weirdly, strangely, I sang for both [Glinda and Elphaba]. I don’t know why — I think we all kind of knew why I was going in, and it was for Glinda. I love Elphaba, but you know.”
Director Jon M. Chu also joined in on the talk and admitted that he had his doubts about casting Ariana since the singer had long been saying in interviews that she wanted to play Glinda and it could’ve overtaken the whole movie.
He said: “In my head, I was like, ‘We’re never giving this to Ariana Grande. That’ll take over the movie — [it’ll be] about Ariana Grande.’ “
“Every time she came in, she was an Ari that I’d never seen before. And every time she left, she was the most interesting person,” he added.
