Ariana Grande sets aside her 'pop star image' for 'Wicked'

Wicked director Jon M. Chu seem to be quite impressed by Ariana Grande as she left no stones unturned while preparing for 'Glinda'.

Chu had only one demand with Grande before casting her in the musical blockbuster.

The filmmaker wanted the 31-year-old singer to set aside her pop star persona for the fantasy film.

While talking to the Deadline, the Now You See Me 2 creator stated: “[She] had to overcome the Ariana Grande image in order to do it. And I know how hard it is.”

He went on to say: “I’ve seen actors who do their first lead in a movie, and that’s not easy. That also takes skills and that takes actual craftsmanship. That experience can happen.”

Ariana proved that she was fit for the role. One of the notable things is that she 'understood the nuance of the character', which actually impressed Jon.

“Every time she came in, Ari was the most interesting person. She was funny, she was emotional", he added.

“But more than that she understood the nuance of this character in a way that felt so real it wasn’t a performative version of it.”

The 45-year-old American screenwriter admitted that he knew, while making the movie, that ‘people are going to see things which they have never seen in Ariana Grande before.’

Wicked turned out to a chartbuster of 2024. It starred the 7 Rings singer along with Cynthia Erivo.