Ariana Grande on What Draws Her to Glinda in Wicked: ‘Her Emotional Arc Is My Favorite Part’

Ariana Grande is back in the Land of Oz—but this time, she’s taking audiences deeper into Glinda’s journey than ever before. In Wicked: For Good, the bubbly, bright-eyed character fans first met in Wicked has grown into a leader navigating the complexities of power, friendship, and identity.

For Grande, portraying Glinda’s evolution has been a rare opportunity to explore a character from every angle. “One of my favorite things about Glinda is following her growth from the beginning of Wicked to the end of Wicked: For Good,” Grande explains. “She spends the entire story searching for the true meaning of goodness, and that definition changes for her many times. Her emotional arc is my favorite thing about her.”

Glinda now carries the weight of public expectation while grappling with personal doubts. Her once-unshakable friendship with Elphaba is tested, and she must question what it truly means to be “good” when perfection is demanded and truth is often silenced.

Producer Marc Platt highlights the film’s deeper exploration of leadership and identity. “Glinda starts as the kind of leader people expect her to be, but through private moments, we see her humanity and her struggle to define who she really is,” he says. “It’s this journey that makes her such a compelling character.”

Wicked: For Good promises to explore not just magic and spectacle, but the emotional depth behind one of Oz’s most iconic characters—offering fans a Glinda they may have never seen before.