Ariana Grande has insisted singing in ‘Wicked’ was a “completely different” experience to her pop career.
The ‘Thank U, Next’ hitmaker portrays Glinda in the two-part big screen adaptation of the beloved musical and despite her extensive singing and dancing experience, she found it to be a very different way of performing on camera to when she is on stage.
She told Best magazine: “It’s very different. Usually when I sing, I’m telling my own story but this was about telling a completely different story and disappearing in a way I never do when I am performing.
“So everything from the way I sing to my movement and physicality had to be completely different in order to play this character.
“I also did a lot of stunt singing for this, which was also very different.
“Not as much as Cynthia [Erivo]. She was up there on a hardness with a broom, wearing a hat, wig and corset being flipped upside down and flung all around the set.
“We had to do some really insane things for this film, but it was all so much fun.”
Ariana adored working with Cynthia, who plays Elphaba, and now views her co-star as a “sister”.
She said: “I loved every minute of working with her. She’s so talented and just so wonderful as a person.
“She became like a sister to me.
“And the way she rings her character to life is just incredible to see. So many amazing women have played these characters, but the way Cynthia brings Elphaba to life is just so extraordinarily beautiful.
“I love her and I can’t wait for everyone to experience what she brings to the character.”
The 32-year-old star believes the movie goes into much greater depth with the characters than the stage show does.
She said:” You get to see and experience this world way much more on film.
“This is such an exciting opportunity to explore these characters further.”