Kristin Chenoweth ‘Cannot Confirm or Deny’ a Wicked Cameo

Kristin Chenoweth is remaining tight-lipped about whether or not she makes a cameo in the upcoming Wicked film.

Some fans think they spotted Chenoweth, 56, in a trailer for the movie, but the actress — who originated the role of Glinda in the Wicked Broadway musical that inspired the film — is giving nothing away.

“[I] cannot confirm or deny,” Chenoweth, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with HomeGoods. “I can do neither, but I can say that I know I speak for [original Elphaba] Idina [Menzel] and I both [when I say] … we’re both really happy for the girls. We can’t wait to see them take on these characters.”

Ariana Grande plays Glinda in the film adaptation, while Cynthia Erivo will take on the role of Elphaba. Chenoweth told Us she thinks it was “smart” to cast Grande, 31, and Erivo, 37, as the iconic characters.

“If you’re going to redo something, redo it. And they each put their own stamp on those parts,” she said. “I think that’s what I’m excited for the world to see. Also, I’m excited for the world to see just how funny Ariana Grande is. She’s funny.”

Chenoweth and Grande have been friends for years after first meeting when Grande went to see Chenoweth in Wicked on Broadway. Chenoweth has been supportive of Grande stepping into her pink shoes since the casting decision was announced in 2021. She told Us that her hope for Grande was that she would make the role her own.

“I told her, ‘Don’t worry about me.’ She [was] like, ‘But I want to pay homage to you.’ I said, ‘You will, it’s in the writing, you will. Don’t worry about me,’” Chenoweth shared. “And she didn’t need one of my suggestions, I just wanted to give her permission to do her thing. By her being cast, [the part is] already different, and she’ll bring her own unique talent.”

Wicked debuted on Broadway in 2003, and more than two decades later Chenoweth isn’t sure she’d ever play Glinda again.

“I think I don’t want to revisit her, because have you heard that saying, ‘Going back is never the same?’” Chenoweth said. “I did it, and I did it in the best possible way I could on Broadway, and now it’s their turn 21 years later.”

The Tony winner knows that it “breaks the hearts of a lot of fans to hear” her and Menzel, 53, swear off reprising their roles, so she teased that she’d consider it if the character evolved.

“There’ll always be a part of me that is Glinda obviously. … I guess I could see it happening as just Glinda, the older version,” she said. “But going back to Glinda to high school, I don’t know. It’d be hard.”

Fans have to wait until November 22 to see the Wicked movie in theaters, but if you’re anything like Chenoweth you don’t have to delay holiday decorating that long. The actress has been “shamed” for getting an early start to festive furnishing, which is why she partnered with HomeGoods to celebrate the company’s official holiday Deck the Everything Day, which falls on November 1 and encourages Holiday Headstarters to embrace their love of the season.

“Let’s face it, holiday [cheer] makes everybody happy, and I have a feeling that this year in particular, people are going to want to do it a lot quicker than normal,” she said. “HomeGoods has built and created a life-sized gingerbread house that we are going to have at Madison Square Park [in New York City] on November 1st where people can come by. We have lots of surprises for everyone. Obviously the little gingerbread house will be decorated from soup to nuts with all decor from HomeGoods, so everyone can come check out the latest things, what they might see [in stores] this holiday season.”

Chenoweth added that the Deck the Everything Day event will also have Christmas carolers, free holiday tote bags and a station for people to take pictures for their holiday cards.

“HomeGoods is, to me, the perfect place to have [this holiday],” she said. “You can get anything there. When I go there and I search the aisle, it starts with the candles, it goes to the snacks, it goes to the lights. You just get everything done and it’s price friendly.”

Chenoweth noted that the will be breaking out all her holiday decorations on Deck the Everything Day this year.

“We have a lot of things going on in our world and I am like the rest of the world: I want a reason to smile. So I will be getting out my [Christmas] tree November [1st] and start decorating it and make myself feel better and I’m not going to feel bad about it,” she said. “And I want to encourage all of [you]  — don’t feel guilty. Get out there, go to HomeGoods, get all your crap and come home and decorate.”

Deck the Everything Day debuted in 2023. On November 1, all HomeGoods stores will open one hour early to allow shoppers to get a head start on their shopping. The festive Deck the Everything Day HQ popup in Madison Square Park with Chenoweth will take place on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi