Ethan Slater is thinking back on his enchanted “Wicked”-making experience.
In honor of the formal “Wicked” theatrical debut, the 32-year-old actor, who portrays Boq in the musical, posted a rotating collection of behind-the-scenes images on Instagram.
Yahoo! reported that Slater's tweet featured a black-and-white image of director Jon M. Chu in action, along with pictures of himself with the cast and several of his co-stars, including now-girlfriend Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Bronwyn James, and Marissa Bode.
"Wicked is out now, in theaters, and you can go see it, and that’s crazy," Slater wrote. "To say I’m honored to be a part of this movie is the understatement of the century."
"I cannot wait for you to see it," he concluded.
In an interview, Slater, who started dating Grande, 31, after they met on the set of “Wicked” in late 2022, hailed his girlfriend's work as Glinda in their new movie and said he is "really proud" of her.
"She’s poured herself into it," the Broadway star said, adding that he is "really excited to be there for this next step of it when the world gets to see the amazing thing that she did.”
Grande and Slater have been spotted together at “Wicked” promotional events. On Nov. 9, during the Los Angeles premiere, they even enjoyed a lovely moment together when she fixed his bow tie on the red carpet.
The pop sensation and Slater posed for photos at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion alongside Erivo, 37, Jeff Goldblum, other Wicked cast members, and Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who starred in the original Broadway show.
Slater recently told PEOPLE Magazine he auditioned for his role as Boq by performing as the character in his audition tape while standing in as Glinda and Nessarose.
“I did two scenes and sang Boq’s songs, 'The Ozdust Ballroom' and 'March of the Witch Hunters,' which is the second movie," he said, in an interview for PEOPLE's new special “Wicked” edition.
"But," the “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” alum continued, "I should say that I didn’t have anyone to read with at the time, so the tape I sent in is me playing Glinda and Nessa off camera, and then me reading with a video of myself."
Slater called his audition tape performing three personas "bold," saying, "I can't believe I got away with it. But I knew I wanted to take my time with it ... and I couldn’t get somebody to spend that time with me, so I just did it with myself.”
Fans have used social media to deliberate over the behind-the-scenes disclosures and the off-screen interaction between Grande and Slater. “Ethan Slater’s audition sounds hilarious and amazing! True commitment to the craft. Can’t wait for Wicked," one netizen shared. “Ariana adjusting Ethan’s bow tie on the red carpet? My heart is melting," a fan penned on X.
“Seeing the original Glinda and Elphaba with the new cast is such a magical full-circle moment," a third X user added. “Ethan and Ariana’s chemistry off-screen is undeniable. They are adorable," another fan wrote.
“Slater singing three characters for his audition is next-level dedication. Excited to see his Boq," a fifth netizen said. “The bow-tie moment says it all. These two are clearly happy together," another source suggested.
Business Times has reached out to Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande for comments.
