Wicked's Ariana Grande tears up revealing what Kristin Chenoweth told her before Glinda audition (exclusive)

From one Glinda to another: Ariana Grande still gets emotional thinking about Kristin Chenoweth's passing of the wand to her for the Wicked film adaptation.

Grande, who plays Glinda in Universal's highly anticipated movie, recently teared up while recalling the reaction and advice of Chenoweth, who famously originated the role in the Broadway musical of the same name, when she told her she was auditioning for the part.

"We had talked about it for years and years and years, but me finally confessing to her that I wanted to go in for Glinda was like a whole different thing," Grande said during an episode of the Broadway Podcast Network's Wicked podcast, Sentimental Men (posting at 10 a.m. ET Friday), when asked if Chenoweth had any guidance for her in the role.

"But I finally confessed to her, I said, 'Hey, I think they're doing this now, and I think that I wanna go for Glinda,' and she went into the bathroom and closed the door and started crying," she said.

"It was the sweetest thing in the world. Oh my god, it makes me emotional," Grande recalled, before taking a pause to gather her emotions herself. "It was so cute," Grande continued, teary-eyed and shaking her head at the memory. "She was just like, 'I was hoping this would happen. I love you, and I trust you with it, baby girl.' She was like, 'Just do your thing. Just do your thing. You are so funny and you have great instincts and no one knows that. You're gonna backdoor 'em.' And I was just like, 'Okay.'"

Wicked, which also famously starred Idina Menzel, premiered on Broadway in 2003. Based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel of the same name and with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the Wizard of Oz prequel musical traces the two witches' paths from students at Shiz University to Elphaba becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. The show went on to earn 10 Tony Award nominations in 2004, including one for Best Musical.

Since the film's casting, Chenoweth has been outspoken about her support for Grande.

"She was really nervous," Chenoweth told Kelly Clarkson while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show in April 2023. "She said, 'I wanna pay homage to you, but I'm scared. I want to make you proud.' I go, 'Well, you've already made me proud, so it doesn't matter. You've — check — done that.'"

"'What I want to encourage you to do, Ariana, is to make Glinda your Glinda,'" she continued. "'Sure, you can tip your hat at me if you want. But really I just want you to do you.'"

In that interview, Chenoweth also got choked up discussing the casting and her longtime relationship with Grande. "I've known her since she was 10," she said. "And now I've seen the full circle. She called me, she said, 'I got it.' We sounded like two dolphins talking. I can't wait to see her do it."

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked the movie also stars Cynthia Erivo as Glinda's frenemy Elphaba. The adaptation also features Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, and Marissa Bode.

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The film adaptation is being split into two parts with the first half scheduled for a theatrical release date of Nov. 22.

The full Sentimental Men podcast episode with Grande streams Friday starting at 10 a.m. ET.