The long-anticipated Wicked movie and Wicked: For Good sequel have finally been released in theaters after a long wait from Oz enthusiasts — but fans might not be totally aware of how much work and how much history it's taken for Ariana Grande to join this cinematic adaptation of Gregory Maguire's groundbreaking novel and Gregory Maguire and Winnie Holzman's hit Broadway musical.
Director Jon M. Chu knew exactly what he was doing when he assembled a legendary cast for the Wicked movies. Grande, who played Glinda, costarred in the films with performers such as Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba Thropp), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard), Ethan Slater (Boq), Marissa Bode (Nessarose Thropp), Bowen Yang (Pfannee), and Bronwyn James (ShenShen), among others.
While all of those cast members have their own memories and connections to MGM's 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz, the original Wicked novel, and the stage production on Broadway, Grande's timeline with the Oz universe is an adorable, persistent, and well-documented saga worth looking back on.
Explore a timeline of Ariana Grande's long-standing obsession with the Wicked and The Wizard of Oz universes below.
Ariana Grande, age 9, plays Dorothy in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. (May 2003)
Just like Wicked is fundamentally linked to The Wizard of Oz, Grande has experienced a similar gravitational pull toward L. Frank Baum's original 1900 novel and MGM's 1939 musical film prior to even seeing Wicked on Broadway for the first time.
As far back as May 2003, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that "Little Palm Family Theater's summer plans include a large-scale musical production of The Wizard of Oz."
The story continued, "Boca Raton's Ariana Grande Butera, 9, will play Dorothy. 'It's exciting, I've always wanted to play Dorothy,' Ariana said. 'The Wizard of Oz has been my favorite movie since I was four.'
Ariana's mother, Joan Grande, told the publication that Ari had "played the lead in last year's Little Palm production of Annie." Joan Grande also noted that her "son, Frankie, is the dance captain, so it’s truly a family affair.'"
Ariana Grande meets Kristin Chenoweth after seeing Wicked on Broadway with the musical's original cast. (2003)
Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande at a premiere event for the first Wicked movie.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Pictures
Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Galinda/Glinda in the Wicked musical on Broadway, told People that she met Ariana Grande in 2003, backstage, while the original cast was performing on the show.
Chenoweth reportedly gave Grande "a little magical body wash" and "a little wand," adding: "I think it was magical because look at where we are now!"
Grande also recalled the story and reflected on how she immediately loved Wicked and was treated well by all the "kind" actors in the Wicked ensemble.
Ariana Grande attends the Wicked musical premiere in Los Angeles. (December 2011)
Ariana Grande at the Los Angeles premiere of the Wicked stage musical.
Tommaso Boddi/FilmMagic
On December 1, 2011, Grande attended the opening night of a new Wicked production in Los Angeles playing at the Pantages Theatre.
Ariana Grande was incredibly young in this picture, but thank Oz that this moment was captured by photographers at the event.
Ariana Grande dresses up as Dorothy on Nickelodeon's Victorious. (March 2012)
Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine (dressed as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz) on Victorious season 3 episode 7.
Nickelodeon
Grande's character, Cat Valentine, dressed up as Dorothy Gale on season 3, episode 7 of Victorious, which was titled "April Fools Bank."
While this was technically an in-universe choice for Cat Valentine as a character, Grande's existing connection with the character in 1939's The Wizard of Oz made it all that much sweeter.
Ariana Grande collaborates with MIKA on 'Popular Song,' which samples the Wicked musical's song 'Popular.' (April 2013)
The kids these days just don't know about MIKA, and we really need to rectify that.
Grande, who was still an up-and-coming artist in 2013, collaborated with MIKA on "Popular Song," which sampled Glinda's most beloved musical number in the Wicked musical, "Popular." MIKA's pop version, featuring Grande, is iconic, catchy, and everything we need from pop music.
Ariana Grande sings 'The Wizard and I' on the 15th anniversary special of the Broadway musical. (October 2018)
A TV special titled A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway aired on October 29, 2018 on NBC. The event had a fierce lineup of artists such as Adam Lambert, Pentatonix, and Ariana Grande (obviously!).
But Grande didn't just show up. The mic was on! The vocals were giving! And that dress was green!
Ultimately, Grande delivered an iconic performance of "The Wizard and I" and proved how much she deeply loved the Wicked musical for many years.
Ariana Grande reveals that starring in Wicked would be her dream project. (February 2019)
"I don't want to talk about it because I'm gonna cry," Grande said in an interview on the Zach Sang Show from February 9, 2019. "I would do anything to play Elphie. I don't really have many dream roles. I already got to play Penny [Pingleton in Hairspray], cross that one off the list. Elphaba and Audrey in Little Shop… Those are my two dream roles."
"So, yeah, I would do anything," Grande went on. "I would stand outside the producers' studio with coffee every morning, waiting for them to acknowledge me and begging to sing 'Defying Gravity' for them."
Ariana Grande auditions for the Wicked movies and is cast as Glinda. (November 2021)
A promo video titled "Wicked - Passion Project" (shared by Universal Pictures on YouTube) showed glimpses of Grande auditioning for the role of Glinda, as well as her real-time reaction to getting a Zoom call from Jon M. Chu to announce that she had been cast as Glinda the Good.
Grande got incredibly emotional, and it's a lovely moment that was thankfully captured in the behind the scenes process of making the two Wicked movies.
The first Wicked movie is released in theaters, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda. (November 2024)
Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked.
Universal Pictures
Grande fulfilled the dream of a lifetime by starring as Glinda in the Wicked movie, which opened in theaters on November 22, 2024.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the live-action cinematic adaptation of the stage musical received rave reviews and went on to smash several records at the box office. It also turned Grande into an A-list actress in Hollywood.
Ariana Grande's performance as Glinda in the first Wicked movie is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. (January 2025)
History had its eyes on Grande as she received her first-ever Oscar nomination in January 2025.
Specifically, Grande was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Glinda in the first Wicked movie (2024). To celebrate the occasion, the pop star and actress shared a heartwarming Instagram post to thank the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for "this unfathomable recognition" and share that she "cannot stop crying, to no one's surprise."
"I'm humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company," Grande wrote. "And sharing this with tiny Ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. I'm so proud of you, tiny."
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande open the 97th Academy Awards with a performance that pays tribute to the cinematic universe of The Wizard of Oz. (March 2025)
Besides being nominated for their respective performances as Elphaba and Glinda in the first Wicked movie, Erivo and Grande also opened the 97th Academy Awards ceremony singing a medley that not only celebrated the film they starred in, but also previous iterations of stories set in the Oz universe.
Namely, Grande and Erivo sang "Over the Rainbow" (from The Wizard of Oz) "Home" (from The Wiz), and "Defying Gravity"(from Wicked).
The Wicked: For Good sequel is released in theaters, with Ariana Grande reprising her role as Glinda. (November 2025)
Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked: For Good.
Universal Pictures
The sequel film directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked: For Good, saw the return of Grande as Glinda and Erivo as Elphaba. This follow-up installment also smashed several records and was praised by audiences. Despite not receiving the same level of attention when it comes to accolades, this sequel is still generally considered a huge success.
Notably, Grande also performed a brand-new song within the Wicked canon, "The Girl in the Bubble," which was created by Stephen Schwartz himself for the sequel. As a superfan of this saga, it's remarkable that Grande contributed this way to the overall Wicked universe, and originated (as a performer) a new song for a character that she loved her entire life.
