Ariana Grande shared that before landing the role of Glinda in the Wicked movies, she had to push hard just to get an audition.
In a new Variety “Actors on Actors” conversation with Adam Sandler, the singer-actor reflected on the process. In Wicked, Grande stars opposite Cynthia Erivo, who plays her friend-turned-enemy Elphaba.
“I begged for an audition. I didn’t know if they would’ve even considered seeing me for it,” Grande told Sandler (around the 13:40 mark). “They didn’t want anyone that they knew to play these roles.”
Grande said she went all in during her audition. “I actually sang both roles,” she revealed. “I sang ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’ and ‘Popular.’ And then I sang ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘The Wizard and I.’”
The Eternal Sunshine singer went on to explain that she performed the full set of songs twice with a pianist before getting a callback specifically for Glinda. During that round, she acted out scenes and Glinda-focused material, including “Thank Goodness.”
By her third callback, she also had a chemistry read, spending three hours working alongside two other actors.
“I remember leaving feeling very grateful, and I felt a little buzzy,” she said. “That feeling when you know, ‘Okay, I think I’ve done the best I can do. And I feel very grateful for that. And if it’s not mine, that’s okay. It’s not meant to be.’ And I know that’s exactly what I did.”
