Ariana Grande is promising a fresh cinematic experience in Oz with Wicked: For Good. On Sunday, Feb. 9, the 31-year-old singer and actress appeared at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where she participated in a moderated conversation with Dave Karger.
During the discussion, Grande shared insights about the sequel to 2024’s Wicked: Part One, revealing that audiences can expect a different tone when they reunite with her character, Glinda, and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba on the big screen.
“Well, it’s very special. It’s very emotional,” Grande said when asked to tease what fans can anticipate from the second Wicked film. “I think the second movie really embodies unconditional love, forgiveness, and friendship. And you’ll have to wait and see, but it is quite different.”
She added, “And you get to see people reap the… bear the repercussions for the choices they made in movie one. So if movie one is about choices, movie two is about consequences.”
Wicked: Part One concludes with the iconic musical number “Defying Gravity” as Erivo’s Elphaba and Grande’s Glinda part ways. The second installment will explore the events of Act 2 from the renowned Broadway musical.
Director Jon M. Chu recently spoke about the evolving relationship between Glinda and Elphaba while addressing reporters following his win for Best Director at the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, Feb. 7.
“If you love those two women, wait until you see where their relationship goes,” Chu teased. “Wait until you see the heights that they can hit if you felt it in movie one and the places that we can go.
Oz is bigger, it’s more expansive, and in the time that we’re living in, it speaks so directly to the moment—to the courage and the consequences of the choices we have to make and who you choose to become when you know the truth.”
Grande and Erivo have received widespread acclaim for their performances in Wicked, earning multiple award nominations this season. Both actresses are nominated at the upcoming SAG Awards on Sunday, Feb. 23, as well as at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2.
Reflecting on their Oscar nominations, Grande shared how she and Erivo reacted to the news while speaking on stage in Santa Barbara, California.
“We were sobbing and sending each other voice notes. She was on the plane, and I was in London,” Grande recalled. “We were both working and just sharing our gratitude, texting each other like crazy people like we usually do.”
Wicked: For Good is set to premiere on Nov. 21.
