Ariana Grande has revealed her technique for tackling the most poignant scenes in Wicked: For Good.
The 32-year-old, who stars as Glinda alongside Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey in the highly anticipated two-part film adaptation of the popular musical, explained how she invented “triggers” to prevent her own “pain” from influencing her performance.
Grande discussed the emotional depth required for the role, noting that some of the film’s central themes felt “adjacent” to her personal experiences.
Speaking to actor Adam Sandler on Variety’s Actors on Actors, Grande said: “I’m a crier in life, but it’s not as easy when you’re performing. It’s not a party trick.
“I invented triggers for Glinda so that I didn’t have to touch on my own, because certain themes in this film are so adjacent to my life.
“I had to design her pain so I didn’t need to reference my own.”
The sequel picks up where the first film left off, covering the years after green witch Elphaba (Erivo) parted ways with her friend Glinda (Grande), and demonised by those in Oz who referred to her as The Wicked Witch Of The West, as she is known in L Frank Baum’s novel about the fantastical world.
One of the scenes in the film, which moved Sandler, was when Boq, a Munchkin man played by Ethan Slater, was transformed by Elphaba into the Tin Man, in an attempt to save his life after a failed spell cast by Nessarose Thropp (Marissa Bode) nearly killed him.
Grande said: “It’s a very painful moment and it’s performed beautifully.
“It’s so important to see these humanising moments for these villains, these terrible people. That’s the beautiful thing about Wicked, it shows how perpetrators of evilness were once victims themselves.”
Grande is also known for her popstar career, with hit songs such as Problem, Thank U Next, and 7 Rings, and has two Grammys to her name.
She rose to fame after starring in the hit Nickelodeon series Victorious and its spin-off Sam and Cat. Her music career took off in 2013 after the release of her debut album, Yours Truly.
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She will set off on her The Eternal Sunshine tour in June, with performances scheduled in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago and Montreal before wrapping up with five shows at London’s O2 arena in August.