Ariana Grande Stocked Up on Pink Underwear and Everything Else Before 'Wicked' Audition
"I was like 'what underwear would Glinda wear today?'"
Ariana Grande must be into manifesting, because the lengths she went to in order to nab the role of Glinda in Wicked could only be described as such. I mean, how else are you going to categorize the fact that she stocked up on exclusively pink clothing—down to her own ding dang underroos—in the months leading up to even auditioning for the part?
Manifestation, my babies, that's how.
In a new behind-the-scenes interview clip from the film released exclusively to PEOPLE in the lead-up to the film's at-home digital release, Grande and director Jon M. Chu dove deep on what felt like a culmination of sorts for the Grammy Award-winning singer (and actress).
For her part in making the magic happen for herself, Grande explained that she, "had been chasing [producer] Marc Platt down for about 10 years, wondering when this movie was going to happen, when I would have the opportunity to audition."
"As soon as I heard that maybe in a few months they might start seeing people," she went on to add, "I was like, 'Great! Now's the time I'm starting.'" And that "starting" included wearing as much pink as her body and wardrobe would allow, going so far as to even buy and wear pink underwear to get herself into Glinda's magical-thinking mindset.
"I was like 'what underwear would Glinda wear today?' I had, like, a little portion of my closet that was all just little pink tops and stuff, just in case," she explained.
And though she always seemed destined for—and determined to land—Glinda's role, the director did not make it easy on her, making her audition several times, both for Glinda and for Elphaba.
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"Strangely, I sang for both," she added. "I don't know why. I think we all kind of knew why I was going in, and it was for Glinda."
"I love Elphaba," Grande offered, before off-handedly adding, "but, you know..."
You can watch the whole clip over on the PEOPLE website—or check out the film which is finally available on digital download to rent or own starting today.
Alicia Lutes is a freelance writer, essayist, journalist, humorist, and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She has written extensively on culture, entertainment, the craft of comedy, and mental health. Her work has been featured in places such as Vulture, Playboy, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, MTV, Cosmopolitan, Rotten Tomatoes, Bustle, Longreads, and more. She was also the creator/former host of the web series Fangirling, and currently fosters every single dog she can.