“I have never wanted something as badly as I did this.”

Ariana Grande recently addressed the backlash around her casting as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie.

Speaking on the Sentimental Men podcast, the pop star shared her experience with the hit Broadway musical and her excitement about playing the pink-loving “good” witch in the movie adaptation, starring alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.

In the interview, Grande acknowledged fans’ concerns, noting that many people only know her as a pop star rather than a theatre performer.

A longtime fan of Wicked herself, Grande admitted she felt “initial nervousness” about taking on such a beloved role.

Reflecting on the doubts people have about her casting, she said, “I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong..”

She added that, given the years fans have waited for a film adaptation, their frustration is understandable.

She said, “Going off of ‘Side to Side,’ I probably would’ve said the same thing. I probably would’ve said, ‘Why the f***? Kill me.”

“I’ve waited 20 years for this. Kill me.’ I would’ve said that as a fan from the outside, knowing of only ‘7 Rings.’ I’d say, ‘Well, that’s bulls***.’ So, you know, I get it.”

Despite the mixed reactions since her casting was announced in 2021, Grande emphasized her dedication to proving herself in this role.

In a different interview with Variety, Grande explained how she prepared for her Wicked audition and what the experience taught her about herself as a performer.

In the six months leading up to the audition, she worked daily with acting coach Nancy Banks and vocal coach Eric Vetro. During this time, she says she had to start “ripping everything open and kind of redesigning everything from the ground up.”

Grande said, “I have never wanted something as badly as I did this. I worked every day with [my vocal coaches] to transform my voice.”

“My singing voice, everything about me I had to kind of deconstruct to prove to them that I could handle taking on this other person. I kind of had to completely erase pop star Ari.”

In Wicked, Grande stars alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, with a talented cast including Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.

Wicked is set to premiere on November 22, 2024.