Ariana Grande was overjoyed when she was cast in the Wicked movies. Though her big brother, Frankie Grande, is revealing that “overjoyed” may be an understatement.
“She worked very, very, very, very, very hard on the audition process and she would let me in afterwards and tell me how each one of them went,” Frankie recalled to E! News. “I remember when she told me that she booked it, we just both burst into tears together. Because it was something that she had been dreaming of her entire life.”
When announcing her casting back in November 2021, Ari shared an emotional photo taken the moment she learned she landed the role of her dreams.
The singer will star as Glinda the Good Witch in both Wicked movies while Tony-winning actress Cynthia Erivo will play Elphaba, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
Ariana’s fans know that she had long dreamed of playing Glinda, the role her mentor, Kristin Chenoweth, originated on Broadway. She tweeted nearly a decade ago, in December 2011, “Loved seeing Wicked again… amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life!”
Wicked, originally starring Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as Elphaba, made its Broadway debut in 2003. The first Wicked movie is slated to premiere in theaters on November 27, 2024.
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