Current：Home > StocksAriana Grande Responds to Fan Criticism Over Her Wicked Casting -Elevate Capital Network
Ariana Grande Responds to Fan Criticism Over Her Wicked Casting
View
Date：2025-04-19 18:30:01
Ariana Grande understands that she wasn’t necessarily a popular choice to play Glinda in Wicked.
The 31-year-old opened up about her history with the hit Broadway musical and her passion for playing the pink-loving “good” witch in the film adaptation opposite Cynthia Erivo in the role of Elphaba.
“It has to be earned, anything on this scale,” Ariana said on the Nov. 1 episode of the Sentimental Men podcast. “Of course, it’s Wicked, that’s the most respectable thing. That has to be earned!”
However, she understands why Wicked fans might not welcome the casting news.
“Going off of ‘Side to Side,’ I probably would’ve said the same thing," she said. "I probably would’ve said, ‘Why the f--k? Kill me. I’ve waited 20 years for this. Kill me.’ I would’ve said that as a fan from the outside, knowing of only ‘7 Rings.' I’d say, ‘Well, that’s bulls--t.’ So, you know, I get it.”
The Grammy winner also admitted to being anxious over living up to expectations.
“I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness,” she said, “or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong or whatever.”
The “thank u, next” singer added that though some might perceive her stardom as an advantage, she felt otherwise.
“I think it’s the opposite, it can work against me in certain ways,” she explained. “When you have this caricaturized persona out there and people know you as this one thing. Is this person going to be able to erase that and disappear into this character?”
In 2021, Ariana went through several rounds of auditions for the highly anticipated role and even got the blessing of actress Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role on the stage. In fact, Ariana shared that Kristin burst into tears when she told her she planned to audition for Glinda.
“She was like, ‘I was hoping this would happen. I love you and I trust you, baby girl,’” Ariana recalled. “’Just do your thing. You’re so funny and you have great instincts, and no one knows that. You’re gonna back door ‘em.’”
Wicked hits theaters Nov. 22.
For a first look at Ariana’s role in the film, read on.
veryGood！ (827)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Celine Dion opens up about stiff person syndrome diagnosis following Grammys appearance
- For ESPN announcers on MLB's Korea series, pandemic memories come flooding back
- South Carolina and Iowa top seeds in the women’s NCAA Tournament
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Michigan woman shot in face by stepdad is haunted in dreams, tortured with hypotheticals
- Want to feel special? Stores and restaurants with paid memberships are betting on it
- Mauricio Umansky Shares Dating Update Amid Separation From Kyle Richards
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Keep Up With Rob Kardashian's Transformation Through the Years
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Russian polls close with Putin poised to rule for 6 more years
- The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?
- How Texas’ plans to arrest migrants for illegal entry would work if allowed to take effect
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Bring the Heat
- As more states target disavowed ‘excited delirium’ diagnosis, police groups push back
- Workers at Tennessee Volkswagen factory ask for vote on representation by United Auto Workers union
Recommendation
Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
Ohio primary will set up a fall election that could flip partisan control of the state supreme court
NC State completes miracle run, punches March Madness ticket with first ACC title since 1987
Suspect in Oakland store killing is 13-year-old boy who committed another armed robbery, police say
3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
The inside story of a rotten Hewlett Packard deal to be told in trial of fallen British tech star
NASCAR Bristol race March 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Food City 500
‘I saw pure black’: A shotgun blast pulverized Amedy Dewey's face. What now?