Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo React to Casting News in ‘Wicked’ Promo

With less than two weeks away from Evil premiere, a promo video reveals the moment Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo learned they would star as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in the 2024 adaptation of the classic Broadway production. The song “Defying Gravity” plays in the background as the powerhouse vocalists transform into theirs Evil roles.

The 90-second video, released by Xfinity Tuesday, shows Erivo wiping tears from her face as director Jon M. Chu shares the casting news over a video call: “The world needs to see more of you and we want to love , that you can be our Elphaba.” In a subsequent video call clip, an emotional Grande expresses her gratitude as Chu says, “We want you to be our Glinda the Good.”

The Eternal sunshine the singer has long wanted to play the lead role as the bubble-riding “good witch” in The Wizard of Oz prequel. After seeing one Evil Appearing on Broadway at the age of 10, Grande met Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda, backstage. And after seeing the Broadway production again in 2011, Grande posted her dreams of starring in the role on social media.

“Love watching Wicked again…fantastic production!” the 2011 tweet read, which Grande recreates in the promo video. “Made me realize again how much I want to play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole”

During the Los Angeles premiere of Evil On Saturday, Grande reunited with Erivo with Chenoweth and Broadway Elphaba Idina Menzel.

As for Erivo, she had early exposure to Evil in drama school, where he played the musical’s librettos with a college friend. Five years later, she took herself on a solo date to see the Broadway production and resonated with Elphaba’s outsider qualities. Fast forward a decade, and Erivo expressed his jitters before the premiere of the green role in a Rolling Stone interview with Renee Rapp who remembers watching Evil film for the first time earlier that year.

“I’ve been talking to Jon Chu, our director, and he’s finishing up the last shot of the movie and putting it all together,” said Erivo, as part of the film. Rolling Stone’s Musicians on the Musicians segment. “I’m just really excited. We’ve been working through the soundtrack — me and (Ariana Grande) have been working hard. We’re just excited for it all to come together for people to see. I’m very excited.”