All the times Ariana Grande was the biggest Wicked nerd before she was cast as Glinda

Nobody is more excited about Ariana Grande playing Glinda in the Wicked movie than Ariana Grande. For those unfamiliar on her lore, Ariana Grande has always been the biggest Wicked nerd. Well, she’s been the biggest musical theatre nerd in general actually – before she became a Nickelodeon household name she actually got her big break on Broadway in 13 the Musical. Ariana Grande has always geeked out on Wicked way before she was cast in the movie, so here’s a rundown of all the times she obsessed over the show and how playing this part was in her destiny.

This interview from 11 years ago

In an interview from 11 years ago saw Ariana Grande asked who she’d rather play in Wicked, Elphaba or Glinda. In literally seconds she answers Glinda. It was meant to be.

Ariana’s brother posted about him first telling her about Wicked

From the moment I came home from college and told you about this new musical called Wicked, after seeing it in previews, to us running backstage with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel when you were 10 years old at the Gershwin theatre to you telling me you were being cast as… pic.twitter.com/OfPKQgtayd

— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) November 11, 2024

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Ariana’s brother Frankie actually got her into Wicked in the first place. Writing on X, he explained “From the moment I came home from college and told you about this new musical called Wicked, after seeing it in previews, to us running backstage with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel when you were 10 years old at the Gershwin theatre to you telling me you were being cast as Glinda and we started sobbing on the bathroom floor to this unbelievable premiere moment in Los Angeles.

“I am so happy, excited, and overjoyed to say that you are Glinda the good. I am so proud of you and I love you so much. This journey has been beautiful and long and I am so thrilled that very soon the entire world will get to see this finished masterpiece for the ages.”

Aww.

When she did The Wizard and I for the Wicked special on NBC

Ariana grande cantando “The Wizard And I” no aniversário de Wicked é simplesmente incrivel. pic.twitter.com/FRyTLKeMt4

— Acervo Ariana Grande (@acervoarii) November 6, 2024

Do you hear that TALENT? Ariana Grande is such a Wicked nerd that she could play both parts on her own and just sing the whole soundtrack from start to finish and I simply adore that for her.

The preparation Ariana did to audition for Glinda

Speaking to Jimmy Fallon, Ariana Grande proved her Wicked nerd chops explaining how seriously she took the role. “As soon as I caught whispers of an audition, that a movie was going to happen, I started to mentally prepare myself and my team. If this is really happening and they are going to start seeing people for it, I want to be so prepared.

“I want to take all of the acting lessons, all of the singing lessons, I want to train my voice. I have to honour this the way that it requires.”

The fact she loved doing it so much it’s made her think about her future in pop

Speaking on the Las Culcharistas podcast, Ariana explained how her perspective in her career is shifting back to musical theatre after doing Wicked.

“I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise,” she continued. “But I don’t think doing it at the rate that I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years.

“I think reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theater and who loves comedy, and it heals me to do that — finding roles to use these parts of myself and put them in little homes and characters and bits and voices and songs,” she said.

“[It feeds me] in a different way than songwriting and writing about my own pain because it’s just kind of constantly reliving that one thing that you wrote the song about,” she continued. “[Whereas] finding a character and putting the pieces there…and then them coming back and feeding you and teaching you new things through performing the act of being Glinda, or whatever… It really feeds you.”

I can’t wait to see Ariana Grande living that Wicked nerd dream on Friday when it drops in cinemas!