- Ariana Grande has wowed the world with her portrayal of Glinda in Wicked
- And alongside her hard work, Grande now says she ‘manifested’ landing the job
- Grande says she ‘left her body’ while filming one song in particular
Ariana Grande wowed fans with her role as Glinda in the Jon M. Chi-directed movie-musical, Wicked.
And now the pop star, 31, says that she has had the role on her vision board for years.
In an interview with the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, Grande revealed, “I grew up watching [the sequel movie to Wicked] The Wizard of Oz and dreaming of being in a musical like this.
“It’s wild to think that something I manifested as a kid has become real.”
However, Grande knows that magic wasn’t the only thing at play here – as she also acknowledges that she worked her socks off to be awarded the part!
“But it wasn’t just manifestation – it was a lot of hard work,” she quickly added, “My mom always taught me that nothing is out of reach if you’re kind, you work hard, and you believe in yourself. That’s what I carried into this role.”
Ariana Grande says she ‘left her body’ while shooting one part of Wicked
Elsewhere in the chat, Grande also gave us some behind the scenes action of Wicked Part 2 – which is officially titled Wicked: For Good.
The movie will be available to watch in theaters from November 21, and the title song in particular made Grande emotional.
For Good is a duet between Glinda and Elphaba, who is played by Cynthia Erivo in the movies. The track sees both friends reveal how the other has impacted their life.
Explaining her thoughts on the song, Grande said, “Shooting For Good was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was such a long and emotional process. I kind of left my body.
“We filmed it over the course of a week, and it stayed with me. I haven’t even seen the final cut yet because I’m not sure I’m ready to feel all of it again.”
Ariana Grande reveals acting lessons before landing Wicked part
Although many actors – including Amanda Seyfried and Dove Cameron – auditioned for the role of Glinda, it’s hard to believe anyone other than Grande could have been right for the role.
But the Dangerous Woman singer was determined to get the part – and put in a lot of hard work to get it.
“I started acting lessons a year before I even knew when the auditions were happening,” she revealed. “I wanted to make sure I was ready.
“Transforming my voice to sing Glinda’s soprano parts took months. Pop singing and musical theater are so different. I had to retrain my muscles and reframe how I approached every note.”
