Wicked is now out in theatres, and a lot of fans have been praising the performance of Ariana Grande as Glinda. Popular is one of the big songs for the character in the film, but it could have turned out very different.
In a recent interview with the LA Times, the movie’s composer Stephen Schwartz describes how he pitched a ‘hip-hop’ version of Popular to Grande, to which she eventually refused. He says, “In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let’s, maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit… Ariana said, ‘Absolutely not, don’t do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.’”
While the movie’s star Cynthia Erivo has been making the rounds online with her odd reactions to fan edits, Grande has been getting nothing but praise, with some claiming that she definitely proves that she can also be a great actress as well as she is a great musician.
For now, Wicked is enjoying a solid opening at the box office, earning upwards of $100 million during its opening weekend. Grande and Erivo’s rendition of Defying Gravity is also enjoying the top spot on Spotify as well.
Though the movie was expected to draw in a fanbase that mostly included fans of the original Broadway musical, the film has somehow piqued the curiosity of casual audience members as well—who have all been gushing about the film online.
Wicked is now playing in theaters.
