Playing Glinda the Good in the Wicked movies has been a lifelong dream for Ariana Grande, a devoted fan of the Broadway musical since she was young.
But stepping into the role turned out to mean something far more profound for the 32-year-old pop star.
Grande said the movies helped reset her creative compass.
“This project really healed my relationship to creating. It rewired me from the inside out.
“I fell back in love with creating in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time, or maybe didn’t feel safe to for some time,” Grande shared at a virtual interview early this month.
“For a long time my celebrity (status) may have been louder than my work or my craft,” the diminutive star added.
One of the highlights of the movie for Grande was the opportunity to sing an original song, The Girl In The Bubble, written especially for Glinda by the original Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz.
“It was daunting, rewarding, exciting and terrifying all at once. To originate a Stephen Schwartz song is the honour of a lifetime,” she exclaimed.
Grande said the song was pivotal to the movie as it adds another layer to Glinda.
“The song is such a gift to Glinda’s narrative – this intricate musical moment where the audience gets to watch her become brave by letting herself be vulnerable.
“You see her examine who she is, what she’s done, and how far things have gone, and then make the choice to truly become good,” Grande explained.
Wicked: For Good picks up five years after the events of the first movie.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now known as the Wicked Witch of the West, has been ostracised and lives in exile.
Meanwhile, Glinda – sans magic, though no one needs to know – is the toast of Emerald City. Popular and glamorous, she’s set to be married to Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey).
But trouble brews.
Fuelled by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), angry protesters (including Dorothy from Kansas!) are out for blood, demanding Elphaba’s head.
As tensions rise, the question looms: can Elphaba and her former bestie Glinda repair their fractured bond and expose the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) as the fraud he is?
Like the first movie, which raked in US$759mil (RM3.1bil) worldwide – and earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning two, Wicked: For Good is also directed by Jon M. Chu, who Grande feels was born to bring the Broadway musical to the big screen.
“I truly believe it was his destiny to direct these films. He has such a deep, empathetic understanding of the human experience.
“Beyond being a brilliant storyteller, his heart is what makes him who he is,” Grande said of Chu who also helmed the hit rom-com Crazy Rich Asians.
Grande – who was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category for the first Wicked movie – added that she’s grateful to the director who decided to expand Glinda’s arc for the second movie.
“It’s heartbreaking to see (Glinda) labelled as ‘the wicked one’ (by the audience) at the end of the first film, just as the world mislabels Elphaba.
“They’re both just people doing their best with the tools they have.
“(In the second movie) we see Glinda at her lowest and at her purest because (Chu) was curious about that journey,” said Grande who is currently dating Wicked co-star Ethan Slater who plays Boq in the movie.
Grande revealed that Chu, despite being fastidious, often encouraged spontaneity when cameras were rolling.
“That was honestly one of the most fun parts – Jon encouraged us to play.
“He’s such a meticulous planner, but once we got the perfect scripted version, he’d let us throw it away and explore.”
One such unscripted moment which made it into the final cut would become the film’s most emotional scene – the whispered “I love you” exchanged between Glinda and Elphaba through a door.
Grande explained: “It happened naturally in rehearsal. We were both sobbing and couldn’t move on from the moment, so it went into the movie.”
Grande and Erivo’s chemistry on screen is palpable, and their friendship off screen has been the talk of social media – memes included.
Of course, some haters have questioned if it’s the real deal.
“Why would (people) even ask that? Why?” Grande queried, half-jokingly, at the Screen Actors Guild screening on Nov 16 in Hollywood which The Star attended.
She continued, calling the 38-year-old Erivo “a lifelong sister” and their partnership “an absolutely the greatest gift of my life”.
Before becoming one of the top pop stars of this generation, Grande cut her teeth by starring in teen shows such as Victorious and Sam & Cat.
These Nickelodeon shows propelled her to idol status.
That paved the way for a music career that led to the release of seven albums which featured hits such as Problems, Break Free, Thank You, Next, Into You and more.
Along the way, Grande picked up two Grammy Awards.
However, starring in two Wicked movies has reignited her love for acting once again.
“I really missed acting,” she said.
“It’s a craft I love and still have so much to learn. These films reawakened something in me.”
Next up, she is slated to star in the comedy Meet The Parents 4 opposite Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. She will also make a return to TV after a decade away with the next instalment of American Horror Story.
“I’m thankful for the chance. I’m excited for everyone to see what’s next,” she said jubilantly.
Wicked: For Good is showing at cinemas nationwide. You can catch the first instalment of Wicked on HBO Max.
