Originally appeared on E! Online
When Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey and the rest of the “Wicked” cast was assembled, they were well aware they were gonna be pop-u-lar.
After all, the self-professed musical theater nerds had come of age listening to the music from the original 2003 Broadway debut (based on Gregory Maguire’s fairly dark 1995 best seller of the same name).
“It was always something that brought me great comfort and happiness,” Grande explained to Entertainment Weekly ahead of “Wicked’s” 2024 release. “I would listen to it when I was nervous for something or sad about something. It was always a safe space for me.”
Well-versed in the tale of how green-skinned heroine Elphaba became “The Wizard of Oz’s” Wicked Witch of the West, Grande pushed hard to step into Glinda’s bubble.
And when the two-time Grammy winner learned she’d be playing the Good Witch who was forever changed by her friendship with Elphaba, she knew just who to call.
“I remember when we got the news, FaceTiming you,” she reflected to Broadway’s Galinda Kristin Chenoweth, “and both of us just being sopping, sobbing, snotty dolphins.”
Agreed Chenoweth, “There was white noise and pink snot glitter. There were tears.”
PHOTOS Wicked Famous: The Original Broadway Cast vs. the Stars of the 2024 Movie
Erivo recounts a similar conversation with Idina Menzel, noting there was no place like the film’s set.
“I felt very, very supported by both of you, actually,” the Tony winner remarked to Menzel, who made a cameo alongside Chenoweth in the first installment. “I felt given the room and space and lots of encouragement.”
Of course, the foursome aren’t the only ones to have been changed for good.
The first installment of director Jon M. Chu’s two-part opus raked in almost $650 million worldwide and collected 10 Oscar nominations, including nods for Grande and Erivo.
Though the greatest prize, Grande shared during a Nov. 12 appearance on Today, was defying gravity with her fellow sorcerer.
“To be able to act with this one and to share a space and to be a scene partner with you was the greatest privilege of my professional life,” she raved. “I’m spoiled for life.”
