- Ariana Grande is a global superstar
- But despite her singing credentials, Wicked director Jon M. Chu didn’t believe she had what it took to play Glinda in the musical
- He revealed his thoughts in a recent interview
Ariana Grande is currently wowing audiences across the world in Wicked.
But director Jon M. Chu has revealed he was initially reluctant to cast the singer, 31, in the lead role of Glinda.
Grande stars opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in the film, as they play out their enemies-turned-best friends roles on screen.
But though he had no doubt about her talents, Chu explained it takes “a lot of experience” to lead a film and he was concerned whether Grande would be “vulnerable” and “funny” enough to be Glinda.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way she’s prepared for this. This is a huge movie,” he said.
However, after jumping through hoops and auditioning three times, Grande more than proved herself.
“The moment she auditioned, she was the most interesting person in that room,” he said. “But I didn’t believe it, so I brought her in again. And she was the most interesting person – I did not believe it.”
Chu went on, “She proved herself over and over and over again, to a place where she was living [as] Glinda. When she showed up on set, she was Glinda.
“I didn’t have to direct her, I was just like, ‘Here’s a chair, jump over it,’ and she would jump over like Glinda.
“It felt like I was meeting this character in real life for the first time, and that the show was based on this real-life character.”
Grande also gets a surprise
Chu wasn’t the only one to be pleasantly surprised – as Grande herself was also in for a treat.
On December 5, the Dangerous Woman singer appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show – and became emotional when the host handed her the original Glinda wand from the 1939 musical, The Wizard of Oz
Fans of the musical will know that Wicked is the prequel to the 1939 classic movie, and tells the backstory of Glinda and Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), the Wicked Witch of the West.
In a clip from the show, Barrymore asked her crew to “bring out the original Glinda wand, please.”
In disbelief, Grande, 31, asked, “Are you serious right now?” before pretending to run off the set with the wand, saying, “Thank you guys it’s been fun. Yeah, I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”
