2 weeks ago
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Once a theater kid, always a theater kid.
It sounds like Ariana Grande might be putting pop music on pause for a little while.
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As I’m sure you know, Ariana is having a huge moment right now ahead of the release of the Wicked movie, in which she stars as Glinda alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.
Don Arnold / WireImage
The press tour for the movie — which is, of course, an adaptation of the Tony-award-winning musical — has been underway for quite some time now. And if one thing has become abundantly clear, it’s that Ari is living out her theater kid dreams.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards
Though she’s best known today for being a pop singer, Ariana actually got her start in acting and musical theater. Before being cast as Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Victorious, she was a teenage Broadway star, getting her big break as Charlotte in 13: The Musical.
Now, speaking on the November 6 episode of the Las Culturistas podcast, Ariana revealed that starring in Wicked reinvigorated her desire to return to her musical theater roots.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards
“It is my heart,” she said of theater acting when hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers asked if she’d considered a shift back to the stage in the post-Wicked era of her career.
“I’m gonna say something so scary — it’s gonna scare the absolute shit out of my fans and everyone, but I love them, and they’ll deal, and we’ll be here forever,” she said, reassuring fans that this isn’t the end of her pop music career for good.
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“I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise,” she continued. “But I don’t think doing it at the rate that I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years.”
Ariana’s latest studio album, Eternal Sunshine, was released in March this year and received critical acclaim for its deeply personal songs. However, Ariana told Matt and Bowen that being so vulnerable as a musician can be difficult, while acting nourishes her soul in a “different way.”
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“I think reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theater and who loves comedy, and it heals me to do that — finding roles to use these parts of myself and put them in little homes and characters and bits and voices and songs,” she said.
“[It feeds me] in a different way than songwriting and writing about my own pain because it’s just kind of constantly reliving that one thing that you wrote the song about,” she continued. “[Whereas] finding a character and putting the pieces there… and then them coming back and feeding you and teaching you new things through performing the act of being Glinda, or whatever… It really feeds you.”
Talking in more detail about her post-Wicked career goals, Ari fought back tears while discussing the prospect of a return to Broadway.
iHeartRadio / YouTube / Via youtu.be
“Whatever makes sense, or whatever roles we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honor the material, I would really love to,” she said, as she began to tear up. “I think it’s a lot better for me. I’m getting emotional.”
Even though I’m a huge fan of Ariana’s music, I can’t deny that it’s amazing to see her inner theater kid flourish again. Other than Glinda, what Broadway role could you see Ari being perfect for? LMK in the comments.
You can find her full appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast here.
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