Ariana Grande has opened up about the unique acting technique she employed to navigate the most emotionally charged moments while filming the upcoming musical blockbuster Wicked: For Good.
Creating a Protective Barrier for Performance
In a candid conversation for Variety's Actors on Actors series with Adam Sandler, the 32-year-old star detailed how she consciously crafted specific "triggers" for her character, Glinda the Good Witch. This method was designed to shield her own personal experiences from influencing her performance, as several central themes in the story felt uncomfortably close to her own life.
"I'm a crier in life, but it's not as easy when you're performing. It's not a party trick," Grande explained. "I invented triggers for Glinda so that I didn't have to touch on my own, because certain themes in this film are so adjacent to my life. I had to design her pain so I didn't need to reference my own."
The Emotional Core of Wicked: For Good
The film, the second part of the two-part adaptation of the hit musical, continues the story after the departure of the green witch Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo. Grande's Glinda is left behind in Oz, where her former friend is now demonised as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Grande highlighted a particularly moving scene where the character Boq, portrayed by Ethan Slater, is transformed into the Tin Man by Elphaba to save his life. "It's a very painful moment and it's performed beautifully," she noted, praising the film's nuanced portrayal of its characters. "It's so important to see these humanising moments for these villains... That's the beautiful thing about Wicked, it shows how perpetrators of evilness were once victims themselves."
From Pop Icon to Cinematic Star
While Grande is globally renowned for her chart-topping pop career, with Grammy-winning hits like Thank U, Next and 7 Rings, her role in Wicked marks a significant cinematic undertaking. Her rise to fame began on Nickelodeon's Victorious before her music career exploded with her 2013 debut album, Yours Truly.
Fans won't have to wait long to see her back on stage in a musical capacity. Grande is set to embark on her The Eternal Sunshine tour in June, with dates across North America before concluding with a five-night residency at London's O2 Arena in August.
