It sounds like Ariana Grande is ready to start the next phase of her career. Grande, who is earning rave reviews for her turn in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, has been primarily known as a popstar who has sold millions of records and has had a steady flow of hits. Before her music career, she began her professional journey on Broadway, later becoming a popular actress on Nickelodeon, and now she's ready to put music aside for a bit to focus on becoming a movie star.
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During a chat on the Las Culturistas podcast, Grande revealed that participating in Wicked has reignited her desire to be an actress. For the last ten years, she has put pretty much all of her focus on her music career, but now she is intent on conquering movies in the same way she has taken over the world of pop music.
"I'm going to say something so scary, it's going to scare the absolute s**t out of my fans and everyone. I love them, and they will deal, and we will be here forever. I'm always going to make music. I'm always going to go on stage. I'm always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise, but I don't think doing it at the rate that I've been doing for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years. I think I love acting; I love musical theater. Reconnecting with this part of myself...I love comedy, and it heals me to do that - finding roles to use these parts of myself.
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Some of us are a bit aged out and were familiar with Grande during her Nickelodeon days, but she put in an impressive term recently on Saturday Night Live, doing spot-on impersonations of Celine Dion and Jennifer Coolidge. Like in her previous acting work, she has a great eye for comedy in some of the SNL sketches she was featured in. Her abilities as an impressionist have been showcased in other series as well, with the singer doing complete on-the-nose impersonations of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and many others.
Ariana Grande Began Her Career as an Actress Close ✕ Remove Ads
Grande's career began on Broadway in the musical 13 at the age of fifteen. She then transitioned to prominence with the young adult set, playing Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon series Victorious from 2010-2013, which then led to the spin-off series Sam & Cat, which ran for only one season. That was in large part because Grande began her music career. In 2013, she released her debut album Yours Truly, which spawned the single "The Way," with Mac Miller, which became the first of her many hits. Her roles since getting into music have been limited, with appearances in the first season of Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens and the Netflix film, Don't Look Up.
Related Why Ariana Grande Changed Her Name for Wicked Credits
Grande revealed the very personal and emotional reason she decided to use her birth name in the credits for Jon M. Chu's Wicked.
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As a music artist, Grande has been highly successful, selling over 90 million albums globally and having over 98 billion streams worldwide, making her one of the most-streamed female artists on Spotify and Apple Music. She has also broken other records, including having the most songs with a billion streams for a female artist, and she has won several awards, including two Grammy Awards and three American Music Awards.
With Wicked, Grande could very well herself be a highlight of the awards season given the early reviews for the film, which are glowing and single her out as a true revelation in the film. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film is an adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, and is set in the Land of Oz before Dorothy realizes she isn't in Kansas anymore. The film focuses on Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her studies at Shiz University before she goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West. At Shiz University, she sparks an unlikely friendship with Glinda (Grande), who will go on to be at odds with her as Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
✕ Remove Ads Wicked PGAdventureFantasyMusical Release Date November 22, 2024 Director Jon M. Chu Cast Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd Runtime 160 Minutes Expand
