I’m very disappointed that Ariana Grande didn’t win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the 2025 Academy Awards, especially since I’m not very confident in her winning for Wicked 2. Before the release of Wicked, Grande being an Oscar nominee was something that never would have been on my bingo card. However, I was so impressed by her performance in Wicked. In fact, I think Glinda is by far the best character in Wicked. Grande consistently stole the show in the musical, which is why she was my pick to win Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards.
At the Oscars, Grande was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category alongside Zoe Saldaña, Monica Barbaro, Felicity Jones, and Isabella Rossellini. Despite Grande receiving praise for her performance in Wicked, Saldaña ended up winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Emilia Pérez. Grande still has a chance to win the Oscar for her role in the upcoming Wicked: For Good, which will likely receive a lot of attention during awards season next year. However, based on Academy Awards history, I am not confident that Grande will win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Wicked: For Good.
Ariana Grande’s Chances At Winning An Oscar For Wicked 2 Isn’t Likely Based On Academy Award History
Only One Actor Has Won An Oscar After Reprising A Role In A Sequel
To be honest, I’m not particularly a huge fan of musicals and was somewhat shocked at the awards buzz Wicked was receiving after its release. However, after watching the film, everything made sense. Grande, Erivo, and the rest of the cast of Wicked give amazing performances in the film. I specifically found myself laughing so hard at everything Glinda did in the film. Not only is Grande an amazing singer, but she also makes a lot of subtle choices throughout Wicked that add so much depth to Glinda.
Therefore, since Glinda is a standout character in Wicked, I have been hoping for months that Grande would win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. While all the nominees gave great performances in their films, Grande has so much charm in Wicked and commands every scene she is part of. Furthermore, Grande sings some of the best songs in Wicked, such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” which is an emotional duet with Erivo’s Elphaba. However, based on Oscars history, it doesn’t seem like Grande has a strong chance at winning the Best Supporting Actress award for Wicked: For Good.
Has Any Actor Won An Oscar For A Reprising Role In A Sequel?
Paul Newman Won Best Actor In 1987 After Starring In The Color Of Money
In the entire history of the Academy Awards, only one actor has won an Oscar for a performance in a sequel. In 1987, Paul Newman won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, which is a sequel to the 1961 film The Hustler. In The Hustler and The Color of Money, Newman plays Eddie Felson, a pool hustler. Years after the events of The Hustler, Newman’s character decides he wants to return to billiards in The Color of Money.
Newman was also nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Hustler.
The Color of Money is actually the only sequel that Scorsese has ever made in his career, and has an impressive score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (via Rotten Tomatoes). Newman was also nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Hustler, but lost to Maximilian Schell, who starred in Judgment at Nuremberg. It is amazing that Newman was not only nominated for playing the same character 25 years after the first film, but also won the Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money.
Why Ariana Grande’s Role In Wicked 2 Is Still Exciting
Grande Could Still Find Oscars Success For Her Wicked 2 Performance
Since Newman is the only actor to ever win an Oscar after reprising a role for a sequel, the chances of Grande winning an Oscar for Wicked 2 are not high. However, it is not impossible. After all, Wicked is still considered a huge success even though it didn’t win any of the major awards at the Oscars. Therefore, the franchise still has a lot of good faith with Academy voters. If reviews for Wicked: For Good are higher than the first movie’s, then there’s a chance that the sequel could be way more successful at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Even if Grande doesn’t win the Best Supporting Actress award for Wicked: For Good, there’s still a chance that she could find success at the Oscars. Unlike in the first film, Grande’s character will sing an original song in Wicked 2. This means that she could also be nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar, in addition to Best Supporting Actress. Therefore, there’s still a chance that Ariana Grande will win an Oscar at the 2026 Academy Awards.
