Ariana Grande has suggested that her Wicked character Glinda may be “a little in the closet”.
Read More: ‘Wicked’ review: hit musical makes gravity-defying leap to the big screen
Grande stars as Glinda, the future Good Witch of the North, in the new film – the first of a two-part adaptation of the hit stage musical.
The Jon M Chu-directed movie, which also stars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage and Jeff Goldblum, hit cinemas on Friday (November 22) and is predicted by experts to be the biggest film of the year.
Since its release, fans have been speculating about a romantic relationship between Glinda and Elphaba – the future Wicked Witch of the West. Now, in a new interview with Gay Times, Grande and Erivo have responded.
“I think Elphie, she goes wherever the wind goes,” Erivo said. “I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection that both of them have. They do have a real relationship. It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it, you know? Because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in ‘Wicked’. CREDIT: Universal Studios
Grande agreed, saying that the pair have “trust and truth.” She went on to say they hold “Just such a safe space for one another, which is what all relationships should be, whether it’s romantic or platonic.
“Glinda might be a little in the closet. You never know. Give it a little more time. I mean, it is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality. It’s just kind of a deep safety within each other. And that’s why [fans] probably ship it.”
Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda on Broadway in 2003, also agreed, commenting: “I thought so too way back when,” on an E! News Instagram post sharing Grande’s quote.
Elsewhere in the interview, Grande added: “Every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade, right? Even the chickens… those chickens are gay.”
She also went on to say that Dinklage’s Dr. Dillamond, a goat history professor at Shiz University, is a “gay icon”.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande attend Universal’s “Wicked” premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, November 9, 2024. CREDIT: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
In a four-star review of Wicked, NME wrote: “Wicked flags a little in the middle, but not enough to dampen a dramatic climax in which Elphaba and Glinda travel to Oz to meet the fabled Wonderful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). He and Yeoh sell their brief musical numbers on twinkly charisma, but Erivo and Grande are both vocally extraordinary.”
“Crucially, they also have crackling chemistry punctuated by Erivo’s bursts of intensity and Grande’s slick comic timing. By the end, you won’t quite be levitating off your seat but you’ll definitely be enchanted enough to stream the soundtrack on the way home. Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz.”
Wicked Part Two is now slated for a cinema release on November 21 2025. Chu recently hinted that the sequel is “eight times more relevant” because of where we are “in society right now”. You can check out everything we know about it so far, here.
Wicked hit cinemas the same day as Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator 2, leading to film fans dubbing the box office clash the Glicked effect, in reference to the Barbenheimer phenomenon in the lead-up to the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer last year.
However, some film experts are saying it’s unlikely to have the same impact as movie-goers aren’t booking double bills this time around.
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