Ariana Grande has revealed that before being cast as Glinda in the Wicked franchise, she had to press hard for the opportunity to audition.
The actor and singer recalled her audition in a new Variety interview with Adam Sandler for the publication's 'Actors on Actors' series. In Wicked, Grande stars alongside Cynthia Erivo, who plays her friend-turned-foe Elphaba.
"I begged for an audition. I didn't know if they would've even considered seeing me for it," Grande told Sandler (around the 13:40 mark of the video below). "They didn't want anyone that they knew to play these roles."
"I actually sang both roles," Grande continued, referring to Glinda and Elphaba. "I sang 'No One Mourns the Wicked' and 'Popular.' And then I sang 'Defying Gravity' and 'The Wizard and I.'"
The Eternal Sunshine singer added that she performed the sets of songs twice with a piano player and received a callback for Glinda, where she acted out scenes and material specific to the character, including "Thank Goodness."
By the third callback, there was also a chemistry read, where Grande spent three hours with two other actors.
"I remember leaving feeling very grateful, and I felt a little buzzy," she continued. "Like, that feeling that we're talking about when, 'Okay, I think I've done the best I can do. And I feel very grateful for that. And I think that if it's not mine, that's okay. It's not meant to be.' And I know that's just what I did."
But as she hoped for, Grande landed the role of Glinda, and earlier this year, she was in the running for Best Supporting Actress at the 97th Academy Awards, which she lost to Zoe Saldaña.
One year after the release of Wicked Part 1, Grande returned to the big screen in Wicked: For Good, which debuted to $226 million at the box office internationally. She will next star in comedy film Focker-In-Law.