Ariana Grande Talks Wicked and Meeting the Original Broadway Cast at 10
"To feel the love that we've received in response has been really overwhelming," the "supernatural" singer told Jimmy Fallon.
Any Ariana Grande fan knows she's obsessed with musical theater theater, and even made her Broadway debut in the 13: The Musical. So playing Glinda in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation is perfect casting. Especially since the pop star has dreamed of playing the "Good Witch" since she was a kid.
On June 6, Grande appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for her first late-night TV interview since 2021. The two friends talked about working together on Jimmy Fallon's holiday track, "It Was a... (Masked Christmas)," and Grande's latest hit album, eternal sunshine.
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Congratulating Grande on being cast as Glinda in Wicked, Fallon shared a print of a tweet that proved the "supernatural" singer's dreamed of playing this role for years.
"It said, 'Loved seeing Wicked again... amazing production!," Fallon read. "Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #Dream role.'"
Ariana Grande met the original cast of Wicked on Broadway
Grande shared that when she was 10, her mom took her to see Wicked on Broadway with the original cast.
At an auction for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, Grande's mom Joan won them a trip backstage to meet the show's stars, including Norbert Leo Butz, Idina Menzel, and Kristin Chenoweth.
"We got to Kristin's dressing room, which was at the very end of the hall, and she invited me in and let me overstay my welcome," recalled the former The Voice Coach. "Her dog peed on the couch. We cleaned it up together."
Chenoweth gifted Grande a witch's wand and some "magical shower gel," which she remembers "every single day, dipping a tiny little pinky in, and using a little bit."
"I really think it was magical now," she added.
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When does The Wicked movie open in theaters?
Wicked flies into theaters on Friday, November 27. While fans are counting down the days until its release, Grande told Fallon how "surreal" it is to see the response to the trailer and footage from the movie.
"This is something that Cynthia [Erivo] and I lived every single day. It was ours for so long. It was just every single day for such a long time," she explained. "And to share it with people, and to feel the love that we've received in response has been really overwhelming."
"But the funniest thing is, people saying, 'It must be so weird to see it with all the VFX now. Isn't that weird?' And I'm like, 'Well, yes, they did add some flying monkeys and some animals, but these were really practical sets that we were so blessed to be a part of,'" Grande continued.
"Nathan [Crowley, production designer] designed these incredible sets, and spent months and months building them. So what you're seeing is where we got to be for two years. It was just so special."
