Ariana Grande cries finding out she was cast as Glinda in a behind-the-scenes look at Wicked

Ariana Grande cried finding out that she was cast as Glinda in a behind-the-scenes look at the movie adaptation of Wicked.

On 13 May, Universal Pictures released a short featurette of the making of the movie musical – set for release on Thanksgiving 2024 – right from Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s auditions, to the filming on-set.

A resurfaced interview clip shows the young “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” singer (who plays Glinda the Good Witch) being asked which leading role of Wicked she would choose, and responding without hesitation: “Glinda, for sure.”

The clip showed audition clips of both Grande and Ervio (Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West), to which the former described feeling like she was “buzzing”.

Responding to the news that she landed her dream role, Grande said in a casting clip between floods of tears: “Oh my God, thank you! 

“I love her so much, I’m going to take such good care of her.”

Both Ervio and Grande reflected on their first experiences watching Wicked the Musical on stage. 

“I’d never heard or seen anything like it,” Ervio said in the featurette of first seeing the production at age 25. “I remember that – it was a rainy night, and I felt really alive. I felt like I was floating on air.”

Meanwhile, Grande said of her experience: “I had the incredible privilege of seeing the original Broadway cast of Wicked when I was 10.” Of course, the musical was made famous by Broadway legends Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. “I just felt an immediate bond.”

Speaking on her role at CinemaCon in April, the pop star credited “many different pairs” of fake eyelashes for her performance in the movie musical. 

Fans were given a first look at the movie adaptation of the musical in February, with the full Wicked Movie trailer being released on 15 May.

Wicked: Part One, is out on 27 November 2024.

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