Ariana Grande Says Her Higher-Pitched Voice for “Wicked ”'Might Stay': 'Certain Things Maybe Won't Melt Away'

"Galinda required a lot of vocal work for me," Grande told 'Variety' of why her character's voice might have a lasting effect on her

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Ariana Grande's transformation in Wicked still has a lasting effect on her.

In a new interview with Variety, the 31-year-old actress and singer, who plays Galinda/Glinda in the musical fantasy film opposite Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, reflected on how her role "required a lot of vocal work for" her — and as a result, Glinda's voice "might stay."

"Certain things maybe won’t melt away. Some will, but I’m really grateful for the pieces that will stay with us forever. What a beautiful thing to be left with, and to feel the ghost of every day," Grande continued, before addressing another parting gift from her role.

"I’m still looking for my eyebrows," she quipped in the interview, published Thursday, Jan. 2. “I’ll let you know if I find them — I hope I don’t."

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Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Related: Are Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Singing Live in Wicked? Here's How They Pulled It Off

The two-time Grammy Award winner also told the outlet of herself and Erivo, 37, “Maybe people underestimate how long we spent finding and disappearing into these women."

"So when certain inflections or mannerisms take time to melt away, sometimes people poke fun," she said of their work on the Jon M. Chu-directed film. "But we had a job to do, and we had things to get lost in — because that’s what the piece required."

And Grande was more than happy to put in the work required, both physical and otherwise, to play Glinda, which she has long called a "dream role."

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"I had been chasing [producer] Marc Platt down for about 10 years, wondering when this movie was going to happen, when I would have the opportunity to audition," she said with a laugh in a clip from the Wicked digital home release, available now.

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Universal Pictures Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked (2024)

Related: Wicked Review: Ariana Grande Steals the Show in an Oz-some Adaptation of the Hit Broadway Musical

"As soon as I heard that maybe in a few months they might start seeing people, I was like, 'Great! Now's the time I'm starting,' " Grande added.

The "7 Rings" hitmaker also admitted that she "had a little portion of my closet that was all just little pink tops and stuff, just in case" she landed the role of a lifetime.

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"I was like, 'What underwear would Glinda wear today?' " Grande joked.

Wicked is now available to purchase or rent on digital, with preorders also available for the film's release on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD, out Feb. 4.

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