Ariana Grande plays the role of Glinda in her upcoming fantasy musical film, Wicked. In the movie, the audience will witness the future Good Witch of the North help her green-skinned classmate, Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West become popular.
Much like her on-screen role, Grande helped her friend and co-star, Bowen Yang land his role in the movie. Yang has previously been open about how the 7 Rings actress helped him throughout the making of the movie, but recently, she also revealed that she pulled a few strings to help him get there, and it was nothing short of brave.
Ariana Grande Had to Do This to Ensure Bowen Yang’s Casting in Wicked
Ariana Grande began her career as an actress and gained recognition for her role as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon show, Victorious. Soon after the series came to an end, she shifted her focus to music and made her debut as a pop artist. With her impressive vocal range and signature whistle register, she went on to become one of the most popular singers in the industry.
Grande made her comeback to acting with small roles in movies like 2019’s dark comedy mockumentary satire, Don’t Look Up, which starred Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead roles. Wicked marks her big comeback to mainstream Hollywood and stars the likes of Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Jeff Goldblum (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live).
In the movie, Yang plays the role of Pfannee of Phan Hall, one of Glinda’s friends at Shiz University. However, his casting was not easy because he is also a major part of SNL, which films in New York, while the movie was shot in London. So, Grande decided to pull a few strings by calling SNL creator Lorne Michaels, as she recalled in a recent interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
She said that calling Michaels was “the scariest moment” of her life because she had no idea what she would say to him, but she ultimately managed to convince him. Then, she went on to praise Yang for his resilience as he went back and forth between New York and London to make sure that his responsibility to both of his work endeavors was being fulfilled.
Bowen Yang on How Ariana Grande Helped Him Get Through a Rather Tough Time
Besides ringing up Michaels to ask him to let Yang do the movie, Grande also made sure that the Fire Island actor had a friend to talk to when things became tough in his hectic schedule of going back and forth between London and New York to balance his commitments.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Yang said that he initially thought that he had things under control despite Michaels’ warning him about the schedule. However, things quickly went out of hand. This was when the Thank You, Next singer made sure that he was alright. He said:
This cannot sound anything but name-droppy, but Ariana Grande was reaching out and going, ‘Are you okay? Come over! Let’s just watch a movie. Let’s get you better.’ She was there for me in a true way.
Grande told the outlet that she understood the cons of traveling so much and having to perform the following day so she made sure that her co-star had all the support he needed whether it was a hug or a listening ear.
Wicked will be in theatres on November 22, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
How did Ariana Grande help Bowen Yang land his role in Wicked?
According to the article, Grande personally phoned SNL creator Lorne Michaels to ask that Yang be freed from his schedule so he could film Wicked in London. She called making that phone call the scariest moment of her life because she had no idea what she would say, but she managed to convince him and helped clear the way for Yang to join the cast.
What roles do Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang play in Wicked?
Ariana Grande plays Glinda the Good Witch, while Bowen Yang plays Pfannee of Phan Hall, one of Glinda’s friends at Shiz University.
When did Wicked release and who else stars in it?
Wicked is a fantasy musical from Universal Pictures that released in theaters on November 22, 2024. Alongside Grande and Yang, the cast includes Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum.
