Ariana Grande, everyone’s favorite tiny-but-mighty vocal powerhouse, has officially addressed the haters—and let’s face it, there’s always a fresh batch—regarding her role as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movies. It turns out some diehard Wicked fans weren’t exactly tickled pink (or green) when the casting news dropped. Ariana gets it though—she really, really does. So, she decided to clear the air on a podcast, because nothing says “I’m serious” like talking into a mic with casual background music.
Our 31-year-old pop star-turned-bubble-floating-witch has been obsessed with Wicked since she was just a wee girl who discovered glitter eyeshadow. She even fangirled so hard when she saw it on Broadway with the OG cast that she successfully managed to charm her way backstage and befriend Kristin Chenoweth. Yup, tiny Ariana was out there making power moves at an age when most of us were still trying to perfect our macaroni art.
But even with that dream-level backstory, not everyone bought the idea of Ariana twirling in a pink dress, belting out “Popular” with the high-pitched finesse of a delighted chipmunk. And here’s the kicker—Ariana herself gets why people were like, “Wait, her?” Cue the dramatic podcast reveal!
“I felt a little bit of that ‘hold up, is she really Glinda material?’ energy,” Ariana confessed on the Sentimental Man podcast, probably while sipping an oat milk latte and sitting on a chair that cost more than your rent. “I get it, truly. I mean, if I was just a casual fan whose only reference was my song ‘Side to Side,’ I’d be squinting and asking myself the same thing. Like, ‘Why the glittery broomstick? Why the drama? Why me? Someone end my Broadway dreams now!’”
And before anyone could raise an eyebrow, she threw in some self-aware humor. “If all people knew of me was 7 Rings, I’d totally understand someone shouting, ‘What kind of wizardry is this? Pure bull–’!’,” Ariana added, giving the haters a mental high-five for their skepticism.
But don’t worry, this isn’t one of those “poor me” stories. Ariana isn’t just here to look cute and hum a few bars—no, she’s here to work. She made it clear that getting into Glinda’s sparkly shoes wasn’t about waltzing in with her ponytail and saying, “Surprise, witches!” Nope, it was about proving herself in auditions and earning the role.
“There’s something so satisfying about people underestimating you,” she said, channeling the inner spirit of every underdog-turned-hero in any movie ever. “It’s like, ‘You think I’m just here for the high notes? Ha, watch me enchant an entire Munchkin village and change your mind.’”
So, next time you hear someone side-eyeing Ariana’s Glinda casting, just remember—she knows, she gets it, and she’s already put in the work. Now we’ll just have to wait for the Wicked movies to drop so she can silence the doubters with some serious wand-waving and high-pitched wizardry.
@sentmenpod Ok but “7 Rings (Galinda’s Version)” would go hard. #sentmenpod #arianagrande #wickedmovie #wickedthemusical #7rings #sidetoside ♬ original sound – Sentimental Men Podcast