Ariana Grande’s casting as Glinda in Wicked was a bit controversial, and Grande herself has spoken out about it multiple times. Now, she's landed a 2025 Oscar nomination for her performance in the musical, and the topic of her approach to auditioning for Glinda is up for discussion again. This time around, Grande is sharing more insight into her own personal connections, as well as discussing why people didn’t understand her thought processes at first.
Speaking about her role in Wicked and her career up to this point, Grande got real about working as both an actress and pop star. During an interview with THR, she discussed why she wanted to disappear into a character like Glinda and audition for this musical, explaining:
At a certain point, you get tired of that [pop star] character, because it is a character, There are pieces of you and your story that are woven throughout your songwriting, but then, because of the way it travels and becomes sensationalized, it gets away from you. And beneath all of it is just a girl from Boca who loves art, and I think that’s why it’s been such a deeply healing gift to disappear into this character — to take off one mask and put on another.
Throughout the interview, we are reminded that Grande made it very clear how badly she wanted to be considered for Glinda. In fact, she ended up auditioning three times before getting the gig, despite already being a well-known pop star. She really had to sell that she would be a good fit.
It is such a crucial part, and for audition Number Two, Director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt even asked Grande to remove all the pop star exterior and be her rawest, most vulnerable self. Grande noted people didn't "understand" the work she was putting in, but she didn't care.
People who didn’t understand would say, ‘Oh, that’s so silly, they know how talented you are,’ and I was like, ‘That’s very nice, but Glinda requires so much. I have to be able to earn this and I don’t want it unless I’ve earned it.’ It became this beautiful evolution of getting to know myself beneath it all. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I love this person underneath the drag.’
Alongside auditioning three times, Grande also had to sing four of the most iconic songs from Wicked. That, in my opinion, shows a level of care on the side of casting that many people seemingly didn’t know about. Before the movie’s release, some thought Ariana Grande was picked solely for her popularity, and the rumors of the disparity between her contract and the contract of co-star and lead Cynthia Erivo probably didn’t help with that line of thinking.
However, in this interview, as well as previous others, it’s been noted that for Grande, getting to play Glinda was a lifelong dream. Kristin Chenoweth even commented on the casting, saying she was glad it went to Grande, because of the passion the pop star has for Wicked.
Across the board, many critics have been gushing over Wicked, as well as the casting choices of Grande and Erivo. Considering both have been nominated for Oscars, clearly casting them was the right move.
Throughout the movie, Grande shines as Glind too. And while I admit I was one of the people on the fence about her casting, I can recognize that she brought a new breath of life to Glinda that's incredible and award-worthy. She was honestly my favorite person to watch on the screen, and in a few moments, her performance stole the show.
Overall, I’m hoping that all of the hard work and pieces of herself that Grande put into Wicked are recognized. It’s very clear that this is a passion project for her, and anyone who puts that amount of passion into something should be rewarded accordingly.
Outside of the awards and accolades, Wicked's second part, Wicked: For Good is approaching and will be here by the end of 2025. So, get ready to see more of Grande as Glinda when her perfectly pink character returns to the big screen.
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