Ariana Grande even scared herself when she first heard her violent line delivery of one “Popular” lyric in “Wicked.”
In a moment that has since gone viral on TikTok, Grande – as Glinda – sings, “Don’t make me laugh. They were…” to which Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba fills in the blank with, “Popular.”
“Right!” Glinda responds, with such aggressive force it caught fans of the song and film off guard. Turns out, it also took the actress by surprise when she heard it for herself.
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“The first time I heard this was when I was listening to the live take from on set in the studio (before I had even seen the movie) and I scared myself,” Grande wrote in a Wednesday TikTok. “I called Jon immediately giggling. For the record, I absolutely do not remember doing this.”
The film – based on the first half of the 2003 Broadway musical – was a much needed punch in the arm for the box office. “Wicked” earned the third-highest opening weekend of 2024 with $114 million when it debuted last weekend.
Earlier this week, it was also debunked that there was a pay disparity between co-stars Grande and Erivo. The rumors grew through opening weekend on TikTok and Reddit that Grande was paid $15 million for her part, while Erivo only got $1 million. Universal shot down those rumors.
“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on Internet fodder,” a Universal spokesperson told TheWrap. “The women received equal pay for their work on ‘Wicked.’”
“Wicked: Part I” is now playing in theaters.
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