Ariana Grande has shared how she felt as fans of the Broadway musical Wicked reacted to the news of the popstar being cast in the movie adaptation as Glinda the Good Witch.
Speaking on the Sentimental Man podcast, the 31-year-old said she understood fans’ reservations at the singer taking on such an esteemed role in her first feature film.
“I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong [for the role] or whatever,” she said.
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“Going off of [her song] Side to Side I probably would’ve said the same thing. I probably would’ve said, ‘Why the f–-k? Kill me. I’ve waited 20 years for this. Kill me.’
“I would’ve said that as a fan from the outside. Knowing of only 7 Rings, probably I’d say, ‘Well, that’s bullshit.’ So, you know, I get it.”
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Grande shared that she tried to not let the feedback affect her performance, especially with it being the role she coveted most after first seeing the musical on Broadway with the original cast and sparking a friendship with Kristin Chenowith, who originated the role of Glinda.
“I think that initially in the beginning, I was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna try to turn that off and just do the work, keep my blinders on and focus and train and do the best I can’. But I think that was an initial, like a little bit of a ‘gulp’ moment. But I tried not to let it derail me,” she said.
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The Yes, And? singer defended herself after having auditioned for the role many times and against more experienced stars such as Amanda Seyfried, Dove Cameron and Reneé Rapp.
“This is something I loved so much about auditioning for Wicked. It has to be earned. Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it’s not just given because they know you for one thing,” Grande said.
“So, it’s fun to kind of have the challenge of reframing people’s perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces.”
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