Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth Agree Glinda Is ‘A Little in the Closet’

When it comes to Glinda’s relationship with Elphaba in Wicked, Ariana Grande thinks her character’s feelings could be deeper than they appear.

“Glinda might be a little in the closet — you never know. Give it a little more time,” Grande, 31, shared in a video interview with Gay Times posted on Thursday, November 21. She went on to note that Glinda and Elphaba’s “true love” for each other “transcends sexuality,” adding, “It’s just a deep safety within each other, and that’s why [fans] probably ship it.”

Wicked, which hit theaters on Friday, November 22, follows the history of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch (Grande) before and during the events of The Wizard of Oz. While Elphaba is initially ostracized for her green skin by her fellow Shiz University students, Glinda included, the two eventually overcome their rivalry to form a strong friendship.

Grande’s interpretation of the character is something Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, agrees with. “I thought so too way back when …” she commented on an Instagram news post about Grande’s comments, referring to when she and Idina Menzel portrayed Glinda and Elphaba on stage.

Over the years, LGBTQ+ fans have connected with Wicked’s themes of embracing one’s true identity and learning to accept people’s differences, something Grande told Gay Times traces back to the original The Wizard of Oz book series.

“Oz is just a celebration of uniqueness, and everyone is so beautiful in Oz. And I don’t think it even is a conscious discussion or decision,” she explained. “Everyone is just so beautifully queer, and that roots all the way back to the L. Frank Baum books where, like, literally the most commonly used word in the books is ‘queer.’”

Erivo, for her part, said she thinks Glinda and Elphaba both feel “different” among the Oz community in the film. “I think Elphie is — she goes wherever the wind goes. I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection the both of them have, that they do have a real [connection],” she gushed. “It’s a relationship. It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”

The characters’ sexualities are never specified in the story of Wicked, though Glinda and Elphaba come to find themselves in a love triangle with Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero. Ethan Slater’s Boq, meanwhile, possesses an unrequited love for Glinda despite being in a complicated relationship with Elphaba’s younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode).

Grande took to her Instagram Story on Friday to share a sweet message with fans in celebration of Wicked’s theatrical release. “I want to tell you how grateful I am for the many ways in which you’ve held me over the years,” she wrote. “You have held my hand and helped mend my heart time and time again over the past ten years and I would never be here without you. I mean that in every way you can interpret it.”

Erivo, 37, shared a lengthy Instagram message of her own. “This journey has been long, and paved with bright, yellow brick. We have laughed and cried, held hands and walked side by side, our lives intertwined, and because of that, we were irrevocably changed for good,” she wrote alongside behind-the-scenes filming pics on Friday. “We gained more than a movie. We gained a love letter to love, friendship, the celebration of the things that make us different, special, and beautiful, and the bravery it takes to change your mind.”

Wicked is in theaters now.