Ariana Grande is taking a moment to soak in the emotional end of a journey that’s lasted nearly half a decade.
The singer and actor opened up about what it feels like to finally reach the finish line of the Wicked films as she and Cynthia Erivo celebrated the New York premiere of the sequel, Wicked: For Good, on Nov. 17.
Walking the red carpet together, Ariana shared that closing out the story has left her feeling nothing but “overwhelming gratitude.”
She explained that creating these films with a team she deeply admires has been one of the most meaningful experiences of her career.
“It's been such an incredible ride and an incredible experience to create with people we love so much and respect so much creatively, but also who just have such great hearts,” she said, noting how excited she is for audiences to finally see the full arc of Glinda and Elphaba.
Ariana pointed out that this chapter has been nearly five years in the making.
“It's almost five years that we've spent with them,” she shared. “So, for them to finally be getting the full picture and to know the secrets we've known all along is very exciting.”
Even though Cynthia Erivo didn’t speak during their joint interview due to being on vocal rest, Ariana highlighted how much the pair still has ahead, including a big milestone, their 2026 Grammys nomination for Defying Gravity.
She called the acknowledgment “so incredible” and added, “It's such an honor to have it be recognized, especially even a year after the first film.”
For Ariana, the friendships she built during production have been just as special as the films themselves.
She’s often emphasized how she and Cynthia intentionally devoted time to bonding off set to ground themselves during an intense, years-long creative process.
She previously told NPR that having a real connection mattered from the very beginning because they knew the work ahead would be “years and years of some of the hardest work of our lives.”
Cynthia has also spoken warmly about that bond, describing Ariana as family.
She once said that while Wicked may have brought them together, their friendship exists beyond the project.
“We were lucky because we got to meet each other on this project, but when the project goes away, we're still good friends. It's not this that's keeping us together.”
Now, with the final film on the horizon and their journey coming full circle, Ariana is clearly holding onto the gratitude, the memories, and the people who made the yellow brick road feel like home.
