Ariana Grande on ‘Wicked’ Oscar Nomination: “Getting to Play Glinda Was the Greatest Gift of My Life”

Ariana Grande on ‘Wicked’ Oscar Nomination: “Getting to Play Glinda Was the Greatest Gift of My Life”

Ariana Grande, a singer and actress who can count numerous wins and nominations to her name, is now an Oscar nominee for her role in Wicked, a nomination that Grande calls the “absolute honor” of her life.

“I can’t believe it. It’s very surreal,” Grande, who first said she wanted to play Glinda more than 20 years ago, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It is just the absolute honor of my life. Getting to play Glinda was the greatest gift of my life, so just to be recognized in this way for that is an unfathomable honor. And I’m so deeply moved and grateful, and it is far beyond comprehension.”

Following the nominations, during which Wicked score a whopping 10 nominations including best picture and best actress for Cynthia Erivo, Grande says she spoke to her costar and director Jon M. Chu, who was snubbed in the best director category.

“[Cynthia and I have] been voice-noting, because she’s on a plane so we can’t FaceTime, and I’ve been FaceTiming with Jon [M. Chu], who is just such an incredible, incredible human being,” she says, tearfully. “And all of this feels like a celebration of our family and of him, because it starts from the top and trickles all the way down… I look forward to Jon receiving more and more flowers in the future, because what he’s done is irrevocable and is once in a lifetime, and has solidified his spot as one of the best directors in the world. And even though he is one of the most decorated and amazing directors in the world, it still feels like just the beginning.”

Even though the awards recognition has been a surprise for Grande, she says she knew she had something special during the Australian premiere of the film in November.

“From our very first day, I knew it was special, and I know every day felt so special to me… I knew how grateful I felt every single morning and every single night, and how fulfilled my creative heart felt,” she explains. “But I think when we were sitting at the premiere in Australia together, Cynthia and I, and the audience clapped when we hug in the Ozdust ballroom scene, and that was when I knew, ‘okay, maybe it feels for them how it’s felt for us this whole time.’ We weren’t expecting them to clap at that, or to anything. We’ve been so close to it for three years, or however long it’s been since we started working on this, and it’s been our secret for such a long time. So you never know when you’re so close to something how it’s going to go when it’s finally shared with millions of others, and even in your wildest day dreams of best case scenario, your mind doesn’t even let itself wander over to this.”

Grande was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her role, which marked her as a first-time Golden Globe nominee. At the time, she told THR she had seen Wicked 10 times. She has yet to see Wicked: For Good, however — as do we.