Ariana Grande’s Sheer Dedication For ‘Wicked’ Turned Her Into a Stalker For Years- “…stalked me for 10 years, more or less”

Regarded as a pop icon, Ariana Grande is an influential figure in popular music and very recently starred as Glinda in the film adaptation of the fantasy musical Wicked. Her work in the movie was highly appreciated, and she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Wicked secured ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards after Emilia Pérez, who went on to earn thirteen.

Ariana Grande is known as one of the best-selling music artists worldwide who loves to be in front of the camera. She rose to fame as Cat Valentine from Nickelodeon’s Victorious. Producer Marc Platt and filmmaker Jon M. Chu, in a recent interview, revealed how Grande was determined to be a part of the movie.

Ariana Grande was adamant about playing Glinda in film adaptation of Wicked

There is no doubt that Ariana Grande nailed the character of Glinda in Wicked. The critics and the audience have appreciated her for her work in the movie, which has also earned her an Academy Award nomination. But the role did not come easy to her just because she is an established artist.

In a recent cover story interview with THR, Broadway producer Marc Platt and filmmaker Jon M. Chu revealed that initially, they were hesitant to cast pop icon Ariana Grande, who had never actually ‘carried’ a film. They shared that the singer-actress had to, in fact, audition three separate times. Grande, after her first audition, was asked to remove her pop star trappings before coming in for the second audition.

The singer shared with the publication,

People who didn’t understand would say, ‘Oh, that’s so silly; they know how talented you are,’ and I was like, ‘That’s very nice, but Glinda requires so much more. I have to be able to earn this, and I don’t want it unless I’ve earned it.

Ariana Grande noted that the process of getting the role she had desired helped her to know herself beneath her pop icon image, and she mentioned that she loved that person. But it was her career trajectory that concerned Jon M. Chu, as she had only been a part of Victorious when it came to acting; however, he was impressed with her comic timing and pitch-perfect impressions.

Producer Marc Platt recalled how Grande was adamant about being a part of the movie that she almost started stalking him. He said,

Ariana Grande stalked me for 10 years, more or less. In her very sweet way, she’d ask to come see me whenever she heard maybe there was a movie in the works.

Grande coached under Nancy Banks, who had worked with actresses including Margot Robbie, Jennifer Aniston, and Forest Whitaker, to prepare for the formal audition. The acting coach shared that three times a week, two hours a day for months, Ariana Grande just did what she was asked.

Banks mentioned that Grande wore her down with having a sheer commitment to the part. She eventually got the part and nailed it.

Ariana Grande thought she’d be a Broadway girl forever

The love Ariana Grande has for theater and acting dates back to her childhood when she, along with her best friend Aaron Simon Gross and family, would fly to New York to gorge themselves on Broadway shows. The two young friends would turn every opportunity into a theatrical opportunity.

Grande mentioned during the interview with THR,

I really thought I’d be a Broadway girl forever. I mean, that was the dream; I’d be in New York City doing eight shows a week, and then maybe on the side I’d be able to do music, and some people would want to hear it.

Then she landed up on Nickelodeon’s Victorious and was shoved into the teen idol status. Looking back at her time on the show, which was mostly positive, Grande said after former child stars opened up about alleged s**ual harassment and toxic workplace conditions, she has been reprocessing her experience.

Being on a show that changes your life or releasing a song that changes your life exposes you to many forces, both love and hate, and there is no manual.

The singer mentioned that as she’s gotten older, she feels less compelled to defend herself and her choices, but she also admits that reading baseless rumors and misinformation about her is never nice.

She added that it’ll always be painful, but she understands that she’s an artist and this is the path that she chose for herself, so she’s just protecting herself so that she never resents her art.

Wicked is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.