Ariana Grande On Best Supporting Actress ‘Wicked’ Oscar Nomination: “Being Able To Play This Role Was The Greatest Gift Of My Life”
With a total of 10 Oscar nominations announced on Thursday morning there’s no doubt that Wicked is popular amongst Academy voters. Amongst the throngs of accolades is Ariana Grande who scored her first Oscar nomination for playing the supporting role of Glinda.
Grande, who was at a hotel in London on a recent press junket for the film when her name was called out, flocked to the Wicked cast group chat, admitting through tears on our Zoom chat, the actor says, “I screamed at every single family member of ours that was nominated. What an extraordinary morning and day for our Wicked family.”
More from Deadline
Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, follows the story of Elphaba (played by fellow Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo), a young woman misunderstood because of her unusual green skin and tremendous ability of magic power. Gilded by privilege and cunning, Glinda is a popular young woman who desires to wield magic. When the two meet as students at Shiz University in Oz it spawns a rivalry that turns into a profound friendship.
Below, Grande talks to Deadline just after the Oscar nominations were announced.
DEADLINE: In a way, you manifested playing the role of Glinda. And now you’ve got this Oscar nomination right out of the gate, this has to be so affirming for you.
ARIANA GRANDE: It’s very overwhelming and it feels very affirming, like you said. I’ve been performing since I was eight and I’ve been doing this a long time, it just feels like you don’t expect this type of thing. It’s my first movie and being able to play this role was the greatest gift of my life. You don’t think in your wildest dreams that you’ll be nominated for an Oscar, you know what I mean? It feels beautiful to be in such company that I’ve admired my whole life long. And also to have that warm welcome and validation that maybe I’m in the right place at last. It’s nice to have the work recognized. It’s the best gift of my entire life, being able to do this.
RELATED: Oscars: Every Best Supporting Actress Winner Back To 1937
DEADLINE: What does playing Glinda mean for you?
GRANDE: It was the greatest gift of my life being cast in this. It’s something that I wanted more than anything in the world. A lot of people say I manifested it, but my mom taught me at a very young age that that’s only a tiny piece of the puzzle, and that gifts like this have to be earned. I’m grateful every single day for her. I’ve learned so much from her. I’ve healed through her, and she’ll be with me forever.
DEADLINE: You’ve mentioned recently that you were going to focus more on acting right now. I’m wondering what that means for you in terms of career goals. What kind of space do you want to carve out for yourself in the industry?
GRANDE: I am really inspired by great characters.The reason why I was so grateful to play Glinda was because both comedy and drama are present in her. The comedy can’t land or play without there being a person with a heartbeat underneath and without there being some pain and drama. Glinda’s emotional arc is my favorite thing about her. Between [the first and second movie] you get to know her on deeper levels and I love being able to fall in love with characters and being able to hide little pieces of myself in them and find little homes in them. I look forward to finding the next right home. I don’t know yet, but I will know what the right thing is when I read it, when I see it. I really like characters that have so many nuances and layers to them.
DEADLINE: Wicked: For Good will be out later this year. What are you excited for fans to see?
GRANDE: I’m excited for them to get to know Glinda truly, because a lot of people have a lot of opinions about her not getting on the broom [with Elphaba]. In movie two, we get to see people face consequences and look within and become who they’re truly meant to be. Glinda the good is really Glinda the good. I’m excited for people to see the ways in which she grows into that. I love her. I’m also excited for people to see all of these characters face repercussions and evolve and turn into different things because we are all left with two choices when things happen to us. How do we grow? What do we choose? So it’s exciting and everyone is so, so good in it.
The 97th Oscars ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place March 2 at 4 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. ET at the Dolby Theatre.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
