At age 10, Ariana Grande's mom took her to “Wicked” on Broadway. There, she met Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda, who gave her a witch's wand and shower soap to use as a potion.
"Dipping a tiny little pinky in," the 31-year-old songstress recalled, adding, "I really think it was magical now."
After 10 years of publicly contending for the famous part, the former Nickelodeon star will play Elphaba in the Nov. 22 film adaptation of the Broadway blockbuster with British actress Cynthia Erivo. The "Thank U Next" singer called it her "dream role."
The movie, Part 2 will arrive in 2025, is based on Gregory Maguire's novel about two witches' complex friendship in Oz, which suffered production issues, cheating rumors, and even a fight on their road to screens. Behind the curtain, star.
The main actors were strangers who played best friends Glinda and Elphaba yet respected one another's performances. That changed quickly.
"They quickly became inseparable," a source told Star Magazine. They think of themselves as sisters."
The two liked shopping in costume, with Ariana choosing Glinda's pink and Cynthia choosing darker colors. Other relationships blossomed on set.
Ariana quietly divorced realtor Dalton Gomez a month after filming began in London in December 2022. Her relationship with costar Ethan Slater, 32, became nasty in July when he reportedly stunned his wife, high school sweetheart Lilly Jay, by asking for a divorce, Glamour reported.
Their son was born in 2022. The insider said the set was professional despite fan astonishment.
According to the source, it was not a factor in the production of the picture. On set, nobody had a clear understanding of what was going on.
Ariana denied in Vanity Fair that Munchkin Boq actor Ethan left his wife and child.
"There couldn't be a less accurate depiction of a human being," she insisted. "No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about."
Rumors concerning the 5-foot-1 star's health include a butt lift and plastic surgery.
"No, that wouldn't work for me," she claimed, adding that the only procedures she's had are "fillers in various places and Botox... l stopped like four years ago."
According to the insider, Ariana and Cynthia had a trainer on set "to keep up their energy and keep the momentum going."
The SAG-AFTRA strike halted production in July, ending that momentum. Cynthia hadn't filmed her "Defying Gravity" number. Since all singing was recorded live, director Jon M. Chu worried the 37-year-old may lose her mojo, keeping in touch daily.
When filming started in January, he said, "She was ready to fly." The insider said the live vocals were a thrill to all on set.
The informant said there were grown men and women crying when the takes were completed.
Cynthia's supporters argued that the movie poster featured Elphaba/Cynthia's whole face instead of her witch's hat, unlike the Broadway show's.
"It degrades me," she clapped back after a few posted Photoshopped versions covering her face. "I am a real life human being."
Ariana was perfect for the frenemy dynamic of “Wicked” because of her diva reputation, like licking doughnuts. But she and Cynthia can emulate OG. Glinda Kristin and Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba, proved that the two female leads had no conflict. Idina referenced the show's song "For Good."
A quarrel rumor plagued them as Tony nominees. Kristin stated, "It's very healing."
Business Times has reached out to Ariana Grande for comments.
