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Wicked's Ariana Grande Addresses Glinda's Sexuality
Ariana Grande knows how to be pop-u-lar.
As Wicked continues its run on the big screen, fans are getting a special look at a deleted scene featuring the "7 Rings" singer's Glinda character teaching Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba how to turn heads at Shiz University.
In the deleted scene, shared on the Dec. 26 episode of Today, Ariana demonstrates Glinda's signature hair toss and excitedly adds, "Ooo, I forgot to tell you, there's another version. You can do: toss, toss, leg. Toss, toss, leg."
Elphaba tries her best, but unfortunately Glinda is less than thrilled and dramatically falls to the ground in defeat.
But the future Good Witch has another trick up her sleeve, telling Cynthia's character, "I'm gonna teach you how to talk with your eyebrows. When you got something to say, but you can't really say it and you wanna get your way. Raise ‘em."
This attempt goes much better, with Glinda later praising Elphaba, "That's good."
Naturally, the never-before-seen clip defied gravity for fans.
"HOW COULD THEY CUT THE EYEBROWS PART THATS SO FUNNNY OMGGG," one wrote on YouTube. Another added, "The pause. The Keel over Why did they delete it i'm CRYING."
Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Fans were also clamoring for more deleted scenes, with one saying, "Now we need wicked the extended edition."
The praise for both Ariana and Cynthia's performances has been universal, with each nabbing a 2025 Golden Globe nomination. And, as Ariana previously explained, the 2003 Wicked musical—which the movie is based on—had been a huge part of her life.
"My first time seeing Wicked, I was 10 years old, and I am so lucky," she told Deadline in November. "I got to see the original Broadway cast. I just remember my life changing, and knowing my life in two chapters: before seeing Wicked and after seeing Wicked."
Still, Ariana knew she had to work hard to prove she could be that girl when it came to casting Glinda.
Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
"She auditioned many times," director Jon M. Chu told Vanity Fair in November, adding that the Grammy winner would often show up 30 minutes early to auditions. "I sort of didn't want to believe that she could do this. It seems almost too easy to say, ‘Oh, Ariana Grande.'"
But as he explained, "Every time she came in, she was the most interesting person. You just couldn't take your eyes away."
While Ariana and Cynthia made the roles of Glinda and Elphaba their own, there was a time when a very different set of actresses could have taken on the characters. Keep reading to see all the actresses considered for the parts.
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Demi Moore
Demi Moore's production company Moving Pictures bought the rights to Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and brought the film to Universal Pictures in the 1990s, according to producer Marc Platt.
Moore's producing partner Suzanne Todd confirmed the Ghost star wanted to play a lead in the film—either Glinda the Good Witch or Elphaba the Wicked Witch—telling Vanity Fair in December 2024, "I think on different days she could do either, but in the moment it was definitely for Elphaba."
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Whoopi Goldberg
Moore wasn't the only one actively pursuing the rights to Wicked. According to Maguire, Whoopi Goldberg was also interested in a film adaptation.
"Whoopi Goldberg's manager wanted to buy it for her," Todd added. "But I really wanted it."
"This is true," Whoopi's publicist Brad Cafarelli told Vanity Fair. "Whoopi loved the book and tried hard to get the rights."
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Claire Danes
Fresh off the now cult-classic My So-Called Life, Claire Danes expressed interest in a movie within the first six months of the book's release in the ‘90s, as Maguire recalled.
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Salma Hayek
According to Maguire, Salma Hayek "had had some interest" in working on a movie version as well, although he was not sure if she intended to play the part of Elphaba.
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Laurie Metcalf
The Roseanne alum—who was also one of the original members of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company—also showed interest, Maguire confirmed to Vanity Fair, noting that he also wasn't sure which role she was looking to portray.
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Michelle Pfeiffer
Once Moore's Moving Pictures was granted the rights in the 1990s, they began working on a screenplay and creating their wish list of actors.
According to Todd, they never got to the point of casting the character of Glinda, but Michelle Pfeiffer was on the wish list.
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Emma Thompson
Also on Todd and Moore's list for Glinda? Emma Thompson, who was on her way to winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for 1995's Sense and Sensibility.
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Nicole Kidman
Another actress that Todd confirmed was "top of mind" for the role of Glinda was Nicole Kidman, who was fresh off 1995's Batman Forever.
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