Chenoweth thrilled Grande will play Glinda in 'Wicked' movie

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Kristin Chenoweth 'couldn't be happier' Ariana Grande will play Glinda in 'Wicked' movie

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 11/23/21

Ariana Grande has known she wanted to be Glinda in "Wicked" since she was at least 10 years old, according to Kristin Chenoweth, who originally played Glinda on Broadway.

"I couldn't be happier," Chenoweth said of Grande's casting in Jon M. Chu's forthcoming "Wicked" film adaptation, which was announced earlier this month. "I've known her since she was 10, y'all. She came to the show, and she was like, 'I want to be Glinda!' in the same exact voice as she has now — just like me — and I said, 'You can be.' And then her nana says, 'Oh, you gotta sing for her.' And she did. And she blew me away."

Chenoweth was so impressed, in fact, she felt that Grande needed "to have something of mine," and she gave the now-28-year-old pop megastar hand soap and a plastic wand.

Grande doubled down on her dream in a December 2011 tweet.

Loved seeing Wicked again... amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 2, 2011

Chenoweth previously shared this story on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in October 2019, though back then Chenoweth said she met Grande when she was seven years old.

And Chenoweth used all of the above to publicly congratulate Grande on finally landing her dream role:

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A post shared by Kristin Chenoweth (@kchenoweth)

Grande was revealed as Glinda at the same time Cynthia Erivo — a Daytime Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner, as well as a two-time Oscar nominee — was announced in the role of Elphaba.