When Ariana Grande realized she was to play Glinda within the film “Wicked,” she made a vow.
“I love her so much,” she advised director Jon M. Chu by means of tears on a video name in 2021. “I’m gonna take such good care of her.”
Grande made good on that promise. However the place co-star Cynthia Erivo appears prone to appeal to awards buzz for the deeply emotional “Defying Gravity,” Grande’s chops, comedic and musical, are most evident in “Popular.” What’s been carried out for many years onstage with simply two beds has been supersized for the display screen, reworked into a particularly technical, satisfyingly theatrical, seven-minute set piece, with Grande sliding throughout the ground, dancing on a banister and swinging from a chandelier — all whereas singing reside. By the tip of this expertly whimsical show, Elphaba has grow to be unequivocally drawn to Glinda, as has the viewers.
Whereas she’s often showcased her comedy chops as host of “Saturday Night Live” or impersonating celebrities on late-night reveals, Grande’s efficiency as Glinda hearkens again to the main girls of Hollywood’s Golden Age musical period — presumably to the tune of an Oscar nomination.
The workforce behind the quantity spoke to The Instances about how the onscreen rendition of “Popular” got here collectively, from the artistic bond it solid between Erivo and Grande to the delicate nod to the originator of Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth.
Jon M. Chu (director): The stress was on for “Popular.” That’s the one everybody’s watching and pondering, “All right, Ari, let’s see what you got.”
You can inform in her audition that she had Glinda instinctively in her, possibly not but the Glinda you see within the film. I believed I may need to information her a bit of bit, however then, on the primary day of rehearsals, she arrived as Glinda. She walked in another way, her voice was totally different. I felt like I had met Glinda in actual life, and that the present was based mostly off of this lady! She’s by no means led a film earlier than — how can an individual this inexperienced come into this and be that constant and so concerned?
Alice Brooks (cinematographer): It was phenomenal to see her remodel. Arriving in London for 18 weeks of prep, she had her brown hair and her Ariana Grande look. Week after week, it simply slowly modified.
Christopher Scott (choreographer): All her leaning — that was positively not choreographed, she discovered that. I keep in mind seeing it develop. She’s very intuitive, she’s consistently constructing this character, training it and feeling the room, and if we’re laughing, she’s like, “Noted.”
Chu: The very first thing we shot was the brand new dorm room scene the place she and Elphaba transfer in. Her delight when she says, “I so enjoy air,” on this transatlantic means — all of us checked out one another like, she’s a golden-age film star, that is loopy! After which she simply leaned into it.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) grow to be true pals within the “Popular” scene of “Wicked.”
(Giles Keyte / Common Footage)
Winnie Holzman (present’s ebook author and movie co-writer): In early variations of the present, I wrote dialogue scenes of Glinda presenting Elphaba to her pals after a makeover. Like a second out of “Clueless” of, “Here she is, come on out!” That concept ended up being crystallized right into a track, and Stephen [Schwartz] introduced it to a complete different degree.
Stephen Schwartz (composer-lyricist): Within the spirit of being open to new issues for the film, my music workforce and I believed, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let’s, possibly, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a bit of bit. Ariana mentioned, “Absolutely not, don’t do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.”
Brooks: “Popular” is the primary track we shot. The problem was that we needed this large, grand quantity, however we’re on this very tight, intimate dorm room — our smallest set by far. One night time, I wakened instantly and thought, the solar must all the time rise for Glinda and set for Elphaba. So “Defying Gravity” is one lengthy sundown, and “Popular” is one lengthy dawn. We put a skylight within the dorm’s dome ceiling so the solar could possibly be our highlight.
Paul Tazewell (costume designer): We see them of their nightwear for “What Is This Feeling?” however “Popular” is a unique type of second, a lot lighter and extra enjoyable. I designed this pink, dotted peignoir with spiraling circles out of ruffles — a reference to what Glinda wears within the stage musical — with a gentle teddy beneath and customized embroidered footwear with toes that flip up simply barely. It’s Glinda’s model of Hollywood glamour, it’s setting her as much as be cute and flirty and frivolous and playful within the track.
“It’s Glinda’s version of Hollywood glamour,” mentioned Paul Tazewell of making a nightwear search for Ariana Grande for “Popular.”
(Giles Keyte / Common Footage)
Brooks: Once they each lie down and have a look at one another, Ariana seems proper into digital camera and Cynthia seems proper again into digital camera at her. We play with breaking the fourth wall loads on this film, moments the place they simply spike the lens and it connects them in a means that’s surprising. I don’t suppose we actually understood how efficient it’s till it acquired edited collectively.
Chu: The chandelier was an enormous feat. She’s leaping very excessive onto that to spin round, and he or she virtually kicked a stunt man within the face at one level. We needed to have an precise human being up on the highest for security causes, in any other case she’d need to be harnessed and we’d have to chop that complete factor up [in post-production].
Scott: That shot of her little pitter patter together with her toes — I keep in mind having her discover how she was going to stroll in that area, and he or she simply did the foot one time, and we’re like, “Perfect, keep it.” That was the spirit of it, we’d discover issues within the room after which we’d roll with it.
Brooks: [The first time she sings “You will be … popular”] is a dolly push with these good stops; we had been capable of do dolly photographs and crane photographs by briefly eradicating components of the set. In any other case, our Steadicam operator Karsten Jacobsen has an unbelievable dance background; he began his profession as a manufacturing assistant on a dance competitors present, and when their Steadicam operator acquired harm, they’re like “Put this rig on!” I had him be taught all of the choreography and rehearse with Ariana on our plywood mock-up set in order that the digital camera could possibly be fully choreographed too.
Chu: I first had a model the place Glinda and Elphaba go into her closet and get misplaced on this pink world the place she turns a nook, after which one other nook and one other — like, how f— large is that this closet? However [producer] Marc [Platt] mentioned, “I don’t know if we should go fantasy like that. Remember, Glinda doesn’t have magic, so it’s confusing.”
Okay, what if all the baggage we’ve been seeing this complete time had been truly her closet, and also you simply didn’t comprehend it but? So then it grew to become a particularly large technical feat to make this closet come to life — grown males in small areas pulling doorways and making issues open on the proper time, devices that unfold remotely with batteries and cords. That mirror is a really heavy piece of equipment, as a result of it has to bend backwards so she will be able to stroll on it. That was all the time scary; even in rehearsals, I used to be all the time hesitant. If she steps on these lights, she cuts her foot.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande created the shoulder transfer Elphaba and Glinda do in a mirror throughout “Popular.”
(Common Footage)
Scott: That nice little shoulder transfer within the mirror they do collectively — you wouldn’t suppose to place any type of duo choreography on this, it’s not a duet in that sense. However Ari and Cynthia simply did it collectively and mentioned to me, “This is the moment, watch this.” I believe it got here from them being so related as artists.
Chu: Cynthia was like, “I don’t want to just sit here and stare at her.” If that scene on the Ozdust modified every thing, and within the subsequent scene, Elphaba tells Glinda her story, then “Popular” is nearly a cementing of their friendship. So when Cynthia does the little kick proper after Ari, they’re taking part in, they’re bonding. After all, you may have large, large moments on this quantity, nevertheless it’s the little issues that make you’re feeling like these characters are actually changing into pals.
Scott: This complete “communicators” [motion where Grande raises her arms], that physicality was her paying homage to Kristin Chenoweth in a means. I used to be so grateful for that, to have an actor who has that a lot love and look after not simply the character she’s taking part in, however the entire “Wicked” legacy.
Chu: Ari actually owned the area — each time she moved, she knew what her intention was, she lived in that physicality, leaping on the banister and kicking up her leg. And sliding on the ground round Cynthia felt like probably the most pure factor on the earth.
Tazewell: I believe that that’s what’s so irreverent about it. You’ve acquired this stunning, delicate factor that’s normally worn by anyone who’s making an attempt to be as glamorous as doable, after which she decides that she’s gonna crawl on the ground or grasp from the chandelier.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande filmed hours of Glinda’s magic makes an attempt for “Popular.”
(Common Footage)
Brooks: We shot that wand joke for 5 hours. Jon needed her to have completely each second to be humorous, and he or she simply stored getting funnier and funnier. After which [editor] Myron [Kerstein] will get the footage, and he’s like, “How am I supposed to edit this when it’s all amazing?” I believe he had like 17 totally different variations of the way it was gonna go.
Scott: I by no means laughed tougher in my life. Rehearsing together with her, on daily basis was hysterical. You lookup and everybody’s laughing so exhausting and Ari’s make-up is working down her face as a result of she’s been crying laughing. I swear it felt like I used to be working with the modern-day Lucille Ball. And I do know we hear loads, however that’s what it felt like. Simply how intelligent and sensible she is, and the way her comedy is so humorous as a result of it’s considerate.
Brooks: Jon needed this film to have an outdated Hollywood really feel; he needed it to really feel timeless and chic and romantic. And my objective was that it will be the best love story ever advised between these two finest pals. So this second within the mirror — when Glinda tells Elphaba she’s stunning, after which she sees herself as stunning for the primary time — is the peak of that connection.
Schwartz: They had been forged individually, however what luck that these two ladies have such chemistry collectively. With out that, they might individually have been nice, however the emotion within the film wouldn’t fairly have been there.
Brooks: It was a problem to gentle them collectively as a result of one girl is inexperienced and in black for a lot of the film, and the opposite has blond hair and in gentle pinks. And I didn’t wish to depend on coloration corrections separating them, I actually needed all of it to be in digital camera, with all the small print of their costumes and make-up too. It took a very long time to determine it out [with our other departments] in order that they might each be in the identical body and each look equally as attractive.
“My goal was that it would be the greatest love story ever told between these two best friends,” mentioned cinematographer Alice Brooks of Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
(Common Footage)
Schwartz: I had this concept for a brand new vocal ending. Ariana was a bit of hesitant about it, however I advised her that if I had considered it for the unique present, that is how it will have been. As soon as she was reassured that this new little bit of music was popping out of character, she was on board.
Chu: We nonetheless didn’t suppose we had been going to incorporate it, however then we noticed [production designer] Nathan Crowley’s stunning hallway and we’re like, that is the house run hit. Then we advised Ari, “You’re going to dance and we’re not going to cut. You’re going to be completely out there, vulnerable, for everybody to see.”
Scott: I knew she had a musical theater background, plus what she’s been doing within the pop world, so I actually didn’t maintain again with any motion as a result of I knew she was totally succesful. However that top kick within the hallway — you may’t know anyone can try this till they do it. She was messing round and freestyling, after which she virtually kicked her face. I’m like, “Are you kidding me? You’ve been holding out on me!” We instantly put it in.
Holzman: It actually looks like a woman simply having enjoyable. I believe a part of it’s how a lot this character has meant to her, and this sense that it’s not simply one other job, it’s not only a film. It is a second when she’s entering into her future.
Marc Platt (producer): She was crying after we completed filming it as a result of she was so joyful. If you happen to look intently when she’s dancing round that hallway, you may actually see the real pleasure on her face and it’s wonderful. Actually, it’s good.
