Ariana Grande Explains Why She Used Full Last Name in Wicked Credits

Ariana Grande is paying homage to her younger self in the upcoming film Wicked.

Early screenings of the new musical, which hits theaters on November 22, have revealed that the pop star, 31, is listed in the film’s credits by her full name, Ariana Grande-Butera. During a recent interview with Australian reporter Justin Hill, Grande shared why she chose to use her “little girl name” in the film.

“I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me,” she explained in the interview released on Monday, November 4. “I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda [and] from Elphaba. And that was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that. It felt really full circle, and it just felt like something I wanted to do.”

Ariana’s parents, Joan Grande and Edward Butera, reportedly split when she was around 8 years old. Two years later, Ariana and her mother saw the original Broadway cast of Wicked perform in New York City and got to meet several of its stars backstage, including OG Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth.

Chenoweth, 56, celebrated the news that Ariana had been cast in the show’s two-part film adaptation via Instagram in November 2021 by sharing a throwback photo from their first meeting. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this proud. From the very first day I met you (swipe to see!!), you were destined for this role,” she captioned the sweet snap. “Congratulations @arianagrande! The best Glinda you will be with @cynthiaerivo by your side 💗💚 I love you!! 🧚‍♀️👑🪄.”

Ariana stars as Glinda alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the Jon Chu-directed films. (Wicked will be released in two parts, the second of which premieres in November 2025.) Based on the beloved Broadway show, Wicked follows the backstory of the witches of Oz as they go from rival college roommates to unlikely friends.

The films also star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose and Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond.

Ariana called auditioning for the role of Glinda a “challenge” while appearing on the Friday, November 1, episode of the “Sentimental Man” podcast. “It has to be earned. Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it’s not just given because they know for one thing,” she shared. “So, it’s fun to kind of have the challenge of reframing people’s perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces.”

Noting that she was nervous about people’s “preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver,” Grande added: “I probably would’ve said, ‘Why the f—? Kill me. I’ve waited 20 years for this. Kill me.’ I would’ve said that — as a fan from the outside knowing of only ‘7 Rings’, probably — I’d say, ‘Well, that’s bull—’ So, you know, I get it.”

Ariana and Erivo, 37, have shown their love for their characters through their stylish pink and green looks over the past several months they’ve spent promoting the film. During the movie’s Sunday, November 3, premiere in Australia, Ariana looked straight out of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz by sporting a pink Vivienne Westwood dress reminiscent of Billie Burke’s iconic Glinda ball gown.

Erivo, meanwhile, channeled the Wicked Witch of the West’s famous spooky ensemble in a strapless black Louis Vuitton dress and statement choker. The costars kept up their respective fashion color schemes for the film’s Tuesday, November 5, photocall in Sydney.

Wicked premieres in theaters on Friday, November 22, with part two scheduled to be released on November 21, 2025.