While Ariana Grande has iconically made Wicked’s Glinda her own, she went through a long audition process and had to compete against many other seasoned performers to get the role. Stephen Schwartz’s affecting music and lyrics have made the story the second-highest-grossing musical of all time and turned the Wicked characters of Glinda and Elphaba into beloved pop culture icons. Naturally, the Good Witch of the South represented a dream career challenge for many actresses, having been set as one of those impossible-to-repeat roles in Kristin Chenoweth’s immortal 2003 performance.

Reviews for Wicked have shown no shortage of praise for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s fantastic characterization — especially in Wicked’s powerful ending — making it feel like they were born to bring these characters to the big screen. Clearly, the talented artists weren’t the only ones considered for a part in Wicked, as the movie’s auditioning process has been described as long and straining — and involving a few key runner-ups. Though little has been revealed about Elphaba’s casting process, some actresses have spoken about almost getting the role of Glinda instead of Ariana Grande.

Dove Cameron, Reneé Rapp, Amanda Seyfried & More Auditioned To Play Glinda

Dove Cameron Got Closest To Being Glinda For Having Kristin Chenoweth’s Support

Though it’s now hard to imagine anyone else playing Glinda other than Ariana Grande, her strongest compeтιтors spark curiosity about what could have been. Confirmed contenders who auditioned to play Glinda are Dove Cameron, Reneé Rapp, Amanda Seyfried, and Taylor Louderman. Rapp and Louderman, known for playing Regina George in the Mean Girls Broadway musical and movie adaptation, reacted differently to Grande’s victory — as Rapp showed excitement for her, saying, “She’s going to be amazing,” while Louderman posted a lament saying, “yyyy did I even audition or think I had a chance?!” (via Betches).

The Mamma Mia actress even went viral for singing “Popular,” and has told Backstage, “I have dreams that I’m still auditioning.” However, Dove Cameron’s natural charisma and connections to Grande and Chenoweth in Hairspray Live! made her the ideal candidate. Speaking on the possibility of playing Glinda, she had said, “I’ve been dreaming of it since I was, like, 7… I should be so lucky to be considered” (via ET). Chenoweth’s dream casting proposed Cameron as Glinda, considering the pair has acted as mother-daughter in the past (via J-14).

Why Ariana Grande Was Cast As Glinda Instead Of Dove Cameron, Reneé Rapp & Others

Ariana Grande Went Above And Beyond To Prove Her Commitment To Glinda

The original Good Witch did think of Grande for a Wicked role. Still, it was originally for Elphaba, possibly for her 2018 performance of “The Wizard and I”. Wicked honors Chenoweth and Menzel’s musical legacy in the right ways, and the Broadway singer couldn’t be happier for Ariana, claiming this is the “role she was born to play” (via E! News). In recent interviews, Chenoweth narrates the moment the 10-year-old actress came to her confessing, “I want to be Glinda” — and proudly praises her dedicated training through the years, which has allowed Grande to make Glinda her own.

Jon M. Chu was initially hesitant about Ariana Grande’s original Wicked audition but quickly realized the pop star had been working for this moment her whole career. As the Wicked director recounts, her organic and unique Glinda improvisation during auditions “felt like it was coming to life…. felt like a discovery” (via IndieWire). Ariana Grande’s win as the perfect Glinda over other singers boils down to her genuine connection to the role, unmatched vocal prowess, and sweet comedic timing — displaying the character’s flighty behavior and naïveté as charming traits that inform her emotional depth.

Sources: Betches, Backstage, ET, J-14, E! News, IndieWire