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When Ariana Grande auditioned for the role of Glinda in the highly anticipated Wicked film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu made an unusual request: he asked her to return without any makeup. This decision has sparked mixed reactions from the public, but Chu, in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, explained the reasoning behind it.
Chu shared that Grande’s first audition didn’t fully convince him to cast her. “For Glinda, specifically, Ariana came in and, you know, she had maybe a higher bar than everyone else because she has such a public persona, and I really didn't want it to overshadow this role of Glinda,” Chu said. He wanted to make sure he was casting someone who could embody the character of Glinda, rather than simply bringing their public image to the screen. “I wanted to find Glinda,” he added.
Grande's initial audition, while impressive, still presented a challenge for Chu. He explained, “She came in, first time, and she looked like Ariana Grande,” referring to her iconic appearance. It was at this point that Chu made the request for her to return without makeup, hoping this would allow him to see her in a new light. “And we thought, 'Hey, what if you came back and just didn’t have any of your make-up?'”
Although Chu wasn’t sure how his request would be received, Grande agreed without hesitation. “She came in and did that, and I saw her in a totally new light that I’d never seen her in,” Chu remarked, expressing his satisfaction with how the audition turned out.
The decision, however, drew some criticism online. Some fans questioned the director’s request, with one user commenting, "You can’t imagine a woman without makeup? As a director?" Others defended Chu, explaining that his goal wasn’t to critique Grande’s makeup, but to ensure that Glinda’s role wasn’t overshadowed by Grande’s recognizable persona. “He didn’t want the Glinda to look like Ariana Grande, he wanted to see if Ariana could look like Glinda,” one fan pointed out.
Wicked is currently screening in selected cinemas, and fans are eager to see how Grande brings Glinda to life on the big screen.
