Ariana Grande Says Her First Day Filming “Wicked ”Movie Was the 'Most Emotional Day of My Life'

"All I remember was holding hands with Cynthia [Erivo] and Jon [M. Chu] and crying," the actress and singer told 'Variety' at the Met Gala on Monday, May 6

Stepping into Glinda's shoes was the thrill of a lifetime for Ariana Grande.

Speaking with Variety at the 2024 Met Gala on Monday, May 6, the actress and singer said that her first day on set filming Wicked, with costar Cynthia Erivo and director Jon M. Chu, "was the most emotional day of my life."

"All I remember was holding hands with Cynthia and Jon and crying. And [Jon] saying, 'Welcome to Wicked,' " recalled Grande, 30.

As for her chemistry with Erivo, who plays Elphaba, the "7 Rings" hitmaker added, "She is really truly my sister. We really found in each other things we needed."

Grande and Erivo, 37, posed for photos together at the Metropolitan Museum on Art during the annual gala in New York City on Monday — and were even joined at one point by costar Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard in the the upcoming two-part musical film adaptation from Chu, 44.

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Based on the 2003 musical of the same name (which is still running on Broadway more than two decades later!), Wicked is a prequel to the events in The Wizard of Oz.

An origin story of “a green-skinned woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West,” the stage show and upcoming movie adaptation are both adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Erivo and Grande were cast as leads Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in November 2021. The following April, director Chu teased more details about the project, including that it would be released in two parts.

Speaking with Vogue at the Met Gala about the upcoming films, Grande said, "I wish I could say more than I can" — but promised that fans would learn more "very soon."

"I will say, it was just the most extraordinary, transformative and beautiful experience I've ever had in my life," she added. "I love the project now so much more than I ever did, and I've loved it since I was 10 years old."

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Erivo and Grande had supportive words for one another as they both spoke with Variety at the Met Gala, with the former praising how Grande “wears her heart on her sleeve constantly."

“She is so open and generous with her performance that it is so easy to be in a scene with her,” Erivo added. “You look at her eyes and you know she is telling the truth.”

Grande, in turn, said Erivo "humanizes [Elphaba] in such an extraordinary way and brings her to life."

“Her eyes, her hands, it’s otherworldly," the singer said, noting that she “will never forget a minute of filming with" Erivo.

Wicked: Part One is in theaters Nov. 27, while Part Two arrives on Nov. 26, 2025.

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