Did Ariana Grande manifest the role of Glinda in Wicked? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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It is no secret how much Ariana Grande has loved and manifested the role of Glinda in Wicked. The musical fantasy enjoyed blockbuster success, box office collections, and positive critics reviews when it released in December 2025. The casting of the film, namely Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, apart from Grande, was not only greatly appreciated but well-applauded.
During the behind-the-scenes and the confessionals, the pop star revealed just how badly she wanted to portray Glinda. So much so that she stocked up on pink outfits just in case she does land the coveted role. Here’s what the 31-year-old disclosed about her life long dream and her audition for it.
Ariana Grande Stocked On Pink Outfits For The Role Of Glinda
As per People’s exclusive clip from the digital home release of Wicked, Grande went all out to ensure that she got the role of her dreams. The singer divulged that she “had a little portion of my closet that was all just little pink tops and stuff” in case she did land the role she had wished and wanted for years. “I was like, ‘What underwear would Glinda wear today?'” the Position hitmaker joked in the video and stated the process behind it.
The songwriter further revealed that she had been chasing Marc Platt, the producer of Wicked, for about 10 years. She wanted to know when the film would happen and when she could get the golden opportunity to audition for the same. “As soon as I heard that maybe in a few months they might start seeing people, I was like, ‘Great! Now’s the time I’m starting,'” Grande added. She also shared how her first audition for Wicked actually went.
Ariana Grande’s First Audition For Wicked
The award-winning musician said that she sang four songs during the first audition including No One Mourns the Wicked and Popular as well as The Wizard and I and Defying Gravity, which were songs sung by Elphaba, not Glinda. “Weirdly, strangely, I sang for both,” Grande said, referring to the role of Glinda and Elphaba. The latter eventually went to Cynthia Erivo.
“I don’t know why, I think we all kind of knew why I was going in, and it was for Glinda,” she added and stated that she does love Elphaba as well, even though her heart belongs to Glinda. Meanwhile, Jon Chu, the director of Wicked also shed light on hiring Grande as Glinda and how he was against it initially. He knew she wanted this role since she was very open about it.
Jon was not sure about casting her and he thought they would never cast her as Glinda because then the movie will be all about her, since she is a massively popular singer and has a very strong fanbase. But when he saw her talent and witnessed what she had to offer, he changed his mind. Jon said, “Every time she came in, she was an Ari that I’d never seen before.”
