The downtown Santa Barbara streets wouldn’t have been so crowded on Feb. 9 if it were a normal evening. Instead, hundreds of fans stood in front of the Arlington Theater holding “Wicked” posters and posters with song lyrics, waiting. It was the night where Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Sebastian Stan, Mikey Madison, and many other big Hollywood stars were presented with the Virtuosos Award.
At the red carpet, the crowd’s cheers became louder as Oscar-nominee Ariana Grande appeared in a soft pink ball gown with flower attachments.
Within the next hour, everyone had already made their way inside. The Virtuosos Award had officially begun, and Grande was the first to appear on stage. Grande received a standing ovation as she entered the stage, where she was greeted by Dave Karger, the host for the evening.
“Within the realm of a possibility, playing Glinda was the dream of my life, and I was so deeply grateful every single day to do that work and that was more than enough,” Grande, the 31-year-old actress, said, followed by a loud “I love you” from an audience member.
Grande discussed her experience with her lifelong dream role, Glinda. Her turn as Glinda in the productions of “Wicked” was well-received by worldwide audiences. Most film-goers left eight to 10-star reviews on IMDb and shared that the movie was “phenomenal,” with one even sharing that it wasn’t their “usual cup of tea, but hard to fault it.”
Grande shared that she was “sobbing” when the cast list confirmed that she would be carrying the role of Glinda.
“[Cynthia Erivo] was on the plane and I was in London, and we were just sharing our gratitude and texting each other like people usually do,” Grande giggled.
Erivo was Grande’s co-star, playing the role of Elphaba. Grande described the experience of working with Erivo, whom she had a close bond with.
“I’m so grateful; I really do feel like not only did I get to share this with the most formidable actress, a scene partner I could ever dream of,” Grande said. “She’s a singular talent that’s also a one of a kind friend. I’m so grateful it was her and us together.”
Grande described how she stepped into the multifaceted role of Glinda, a character displaying themes of validation from others.
“Glinda’s a comedic role, and she’s full of light and it seems fluffy at times, but that comedy can’t land without there being a person with a real human heartbeat beneath the surface,” Grande said. “It’s about getting to know that person and finding out what her insecurities are, and where that desperate need for external validation comes from and why is popularity and being liked so important to her.”
Grande said that her favorite aspect about playing Glinda was the ability “to feel pain.”
“You get to feel humanness, but also her magic is the levity which she brings,” Grande said, and the room filled with applause.
The sequel to “Wicked,” “Wicked: For Good,” is set to come out in nine months. Using only one word, Grande described the sequel to be “very emotional” and mentioned that the sequel’s theme “embodies unconditional love.”
