Ariana Grande’s sensational performance in Wicked has been one of the biggest talking points of 2024, with the actress even securing an Academy Award nomination for her work in the project. However, there’s an alternate universe where Grande wasn’t involved in Wicked at all, and it’s much closer to reality than many would expect. Luckily this didn’t come to pᴀss, but there were other actresses who were considered for Glinda first – and several came very close to being cast.
Thankfully, Grande’s performance was widely accepted by both critics and audiences alike, sparking what hopefully will become a new period of her career as an actress. The film would not have been the same without her, and her more comedic portrayal of Glinda helped distinguish this cinematic adaptation of Wicked from both Gregory Maguire’s novel and the original Broadway production. Grande is the arguable MVP of Wicked’s cast, but there were concerns during the casting process that it would be difficult to separate the character from Grande’s existing public persona.
Jon M. Chu Worried That Casting Ariana Grande As Glinda Would Mean She Would Overwhelm The Movie
There Were Concerns That Audiences Wouldn’t Take Her Seriously
While many audiences were confident that Ariana Grande would be able to pull off Glinda’s character in a way that felt fresh and new, Wicked’s director Jon M. Chu wasn’t so sure. The filmmaker had expressed concerns that Grande’s reputation would be inherently damaging to her interpretation of the character, with audiences superimposing her pop star image onto Glinda. Chu discusses this in Wicked’s special features, admitting that “in my head, I was like, we’re never giving this to Ariana Grande.”
The concerns arose thanks to Grande’s accounts of wanting to play the character since she was very young, which made Chu worry that audiences would struggle to see the character through her own public accounts of wanting to portray her. The director was worried that Grande’s involvement would “just take over the movie,” turning the casting process into a whole public ordeal. There aren’t many characters quite like Glinda, and it was crucial that Wicked found the right actress for the job.
Ariana Grande Is The Most Memorable Part Of Wicked – But Not For The Reason The Director Thought
Grande Delivers The Movie’s Most Entertaining Performance
Thankfully, Grande managed to overcome the heavy expectations that came with the role and ended up being the most memorable part of the entire movie – in a good way. Despite concerns that her pop star reputation would overshadow the character and change the audience’s perception of her, Grande totally disappeared into the role and delivered a performance unlike anything she’d managed before.
Glinda is the largest personality in Wicked by a long sH๏τ, and Grande fully leaned into the comedic side of this character to transform her into an extremely likable and relatable figure. The traces of Glinda’s “mean girl” persona are still there, but it’s always played for laughs with a witty naivete that was consistently praised in Kristen Chenoweth’s performance in the Broadway production. Glinda’s relationship with Elphaba was tackled perfectly, relying on the natural chemistry between Grande and Erivo to find that spark.
It Was Ariana Grande Who Refused To Do A New Version Of “Popular,” Essentially For This Reason
The Actress Was Aware Of The Director’s Concerns
Incidentally, Grande was clearly aware of the effect that her celebrity persona may have on the character of Glinda and actively tried to prevent this. When her involvement in the movie had been confirmed, Wicked’s musician and lyricist Stephen Schwartz approached her and pitched a “hip-hop inspired” version of Glinda’s most noteworthy song “Popular”, which Grande immediately shut down. The actress was concerned that it would change the song’s tone too heavily, upsetting fans and coming across as self-indulgent.
The actress was always adamant that she didn’t want to be playing herself in this cinematic version of Wicked, but rather she wanted to perfectly channel the Glinda that she’d watched on Broadway all those years prior.
This decision ultimately proved to be an excellent one, as “Popular” ranked among Wicked’s best musical numbers and managed to stay true to the spirit of Schwartz’s original vision. The actress was always adamant that she didn’t want to be playing herself in this cinematic version of Wicked, but rather she wanted to perfectly channel the Glinda that she’d watched on Broadway all those years prior. And despite a few changes to the script and a more openly comedic performance, that’s exactly what Ariana Grande did.
