She's come a long way! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re exploring how Ariana Grande worked to “Break Free” from her pop star persona and become totally Glindafied for the “Wicked” movie adaptation.
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00:00It is my heart's desire to become a sorceress."
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're exploring how Ariana Grande worked to break free from
00:09her pop star persona, and become totally Glinda-fied for the Wicked movie adaptation.
00:14I have never wanted something as badly as I did this."
00:20Back in 2011, Ariana Grande put it out into the universe that playing Glinda in Wicked
00:25was her dream role.
00:26She also told KidNation that while Elphaba has some great songs, she's Glinda through
00:31and through, and even gave us a glimpse of what that might sound like.
00:35In an interview with Zach Sang, she shared that as a kid, she loved Glinda's bright,
00:47bubbly, and comedic personality, but now she resonates more with the character's conviction.
00:52Well about ten years after sharing her dream with the world, she hopped on a video call
00:56with director Jon M. Chu, who made it all come true.
01:10While most of us know Grande as a Nickelodeon star or from her music career, her roots actually
01:15go back to Broadway, where she played Charlotte in the musical 13 when she was just a little
01:19older than that herself.
01:21But really, Grande's been in the theater world practically forever, from local productions
01:25to belting out show tunes in the car.
01:38She once called theater, quote, her soul, her heart, and has shown that love for the
01:42stage throughout her career.
01:44According to Chu, Grande went full fangirl on the production, making sure that the parts
01:49of the show she knows will mean everything to the fans aren't forgotten or left out.
01:53But just going back to her overall love of musicals, apparently she reached out to the
01:58Hairspray Live team to ask for a chance to audition.
02:11As we know, she ended up playing Tracy's best friend Penny Pinkleton and starring alongside
02:15OG Glinda Kristen Chenoweth.
02:17That wasn't the first time these two met.
02:20Both performers have shared the story of how, when Ari was just a little girl, she
02:23got to go backstage at Wicked on Broadway, meet Chenoweth, and even sing for her.
02:37Chenoweth said she knew right then that this kid had something special.
02:40Fast forward several years, and there they are co-starring in Hairspray Live.
02:53Over the years, they stayed tight, with Chenoweth calling herself Grande's musical mama.
02:58That connection sure came in handy when Ari floated into Glinda's bubble.
03:01It's so sweet to see how emotional Chenoweth gets when talking about that full circle experience.
03:19She even handed Ariana the Glinda wand, literally and figuratively, giving her blessing to make
03:24the role her own.
03:26But before all that, let's rewind to her audition process.
03:44As any Wicked fan knows all too well, a movie adaptation of the musical has been dangled
03:48in front of us for what feels like forever.
03:51How long exactly?
03:52Well, Ariana, who'll be 31 when Part 1 of Wicked finally hits theaters, started chasing
03:57this role at just 20 years old.
04:04According to Chu, she auditioned for the upcoming movie five times.
04:07He also shared that she showed incredible dedication throughout the audition process.
04:12While he was initially hesitant to cast such a big pop star, she proved she was more than
04:16up to the task each time.
04:27He said, quote,
04:28Still, even though this was her dream role, she apparently was more than happy to coach
04:41and advise friends of hers who were up for the part, too.
04:44As for her own audition, she poured everything she had into giving herself the best shot.
04:56Like many auditionees, she shared that the process was long and intense.
05:00She spent about six months working with vocal coaches to get just the right sound and worked
05:04on breaking down everything the public thought they knew about her.
05:18She came into the whole experience as a blank slate, ready to be transformed into Glinda
05:23in her own right.
05:24In fact, she was so dedicated that she even had her fellow coaches on the voice breaking
05:28a sweat.
05:42As we said, she didn't want to step into this movie as Ariana Grande, international pop
05:46star.
05:47She knew that if any trace of her pop persona showed up in her Glinda, it might break the
05:51magic.
05:52So she gave a big old thank you next to the Ari we know, at least for now.
06:02If you've been a true Ariana stan from the start, you already know she's a master at
06:06reinventing herself.
06:08She first made her mark as the ditzy Cat Valentine on Victorious and its spinoff Salmon Cat.
06:13Then, as she transitioned into music, she owned her stage presence and wore her confidence
06:17and sexuality unapologetically.
06:27Now she's entering her Glinda the Good era, and we're all about to see a whole new side
06:31of her.
06:32We're not saying she went full method, but she's definitely given this role 120%.
06:47She talked about having complete tunnel vision and even going as far as getting another phone
06:51that was basically just for Chu and her co-star Cynthia Erivo.
06:54What's even more amazing is that she shared how this focus allowed her to set some much-needed
06:58boundaries in her life, letting her explore the character deeply and really savor the
07:03experience.
07:15So this was Ariana's big chance to show fans a side of her they probably hadn't seen before.
07:30To start the process, she decided to go all out with the most swankified makeover.
07:34She reportedly told the film's makeup artist, Frances Hannan, quote,
07:37"'I don't want to bring anything from my life into our film,' and was totally open to a
07:42complete reinvention.
07:43A big inspiration for her look came from the 40s and 50s, especially star of screen and
07:48style Grace Kelly.
07:50Hannan felt that the beauty and simplicity of that look would be perfect for Ari."
07:54Apparently, although Grande was fitted for a wig, her hair was also bleached.
08:00And if you know her history with the product, you'll know what a huge commitment that is.
08:04Reportedly, she also got a brow lift and had to keep her eyebrows matching her hair, lightening
08:09them with a powder roughly once a week.
08:20Something to pay attention to when you watch the movie is Glinda's hair length and hue.
08:24They are essentially reflections of her character's growth and development.
08:28Of course, you can't have the queen of a cosmetic empire without using at least some of her
08:32products.
08:34of that special Glinda sparkle.
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09:00Now that she looks the part, what about her voice?
09:04Fans have noticed that since Ari started promoting the role, her voice has taken on a different
09:07register, sounding quite unlike what we remember.
09:10I trained every day with Nancy and with Eric to transform my voice, even.
09:14Like my singing voice, everything about me, I had to kind of deconstruct.
09:20She's worked hard to find that voice, and she's been quick to defend it.
09:23She pointed out that she hasn't seen male actors getting critiqued for fully committing
09:27to their roles.
09:28Oh, I saved you some space, by the way.
09:29Do you really think this is fair?
09:31I do not.
09:32I just promised a private suite.
09:34But thanks for asking.
09:36The only reason she feels the need to defend her choices at all is because she's incredibly
09:40proud of the work she's put into making Glinda her own, and she wants to cherish that.
09:44From my voice to my physicality and just sort of finding her and learning to how I could
09:53offer myself to her.
09:55Perhaps the sweetest part is that Glinda has really made her mark on Grande.
09:59Not to get all cheesy, but it sounds like Glinda will always be with her like a handprint
10:03on her heart.
10:04Glinda's journey of personal growth is something Ariana connected with deeply.
10:07My favorite thing about Wicked is that we can all identify pieces of ourselves within
10:13both Elphaba and Glinda.
10:14She shared that whenever she tried to go back to who she was before, she felt a pull towards
10:19her new self, saying, quote,
10:20I liked that feeling.
10:22I love believing in myself.
10:24Interesting.
10:25My brain got used to certain pieces of her.
10:27And then the other things I would like would really force you to look in the mirror.
10:30I think that's what I like so much about acting and what I missed so much because, you know,
10:36it's fun to be forced to look in the mirror in certain ways.
10:39Are you excited to see Ariana play Glinda?
10:41Tell us what you're hoping she'll bring to the role in the comments.
10:44It's good to see me, isn't it?
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