Fans of Ariana Grande have seen her through her best days — making a name for herself in the music industry and successfully using the kids’ television world as a springboard for her success. But they’ve also seen her through some of the darkest moments of her life — the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, who died of a drug overdose, and the Manchester bombing at one of her shows that killed 22 people and injured over a thousand. In the aftermath of the most traumatic moments in her life that’s left her with PTSD, we saw her sob in front of the public while trying to keep a brave face on for her fans. That’s why, when I was watching Grande in Wicked: For Good, there was a dull ache in my chest that sat there throughout the movie, and it flared up every time she cried.
As a society, we need to have a better relationship with the word “parasocial,” which is defined as a one-sided relationship with a public figure. It doesn’t need to carry the negative connotation it often has, which leads many to automatically assume it means an unhealthy obsession. I’m not afraid to admit that I have parasocial relationships with my favorite celebrities — Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Grande, to name a few. That comes from respecting them as artists, taking pride in their success, and empathizing with them in their low moments. This also does not mean that they are not at fault, nor can I not recognize that and hold them accountable. Some fan groups have given the word “stan” a bad name (I’m looking at your Swifties and Barbz), and some of Grande’s fans fit into this group too.
Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande as Fiyero and Glinda in “Wicked: For Good”Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
It’s possible to hold a celebrity in regard and let it just be that, especially, in the case of Grande, someone you’ve known since they had their breakout moment on a show like Victorious. As she grew in popularity and started toying with the idea of solo music, Grande and her castmates would post videos on YouTube of them singing together, or she’d post solo covers. Or, she’d occasionally sing a song from Wicked with her best friend Liz Gilies. There are also videos of her singing “The Wizard and I” as a child, so it felt like a full-circle moment for her to be invited to the 15th-anniversary special to perform a cover of the same song, and then, a few years later, be cast as Glinda in the movie adaptation.
When she and her costar, Cynthia Erivo, were cast in the roles, it was clear how much the opportunity meant to them. Through sobs, both of them vowed to do a good job and as Grande said, she’d “take good care of Glinda.” After the first movie, it was clear that she did the work in making sure she understood the character inside and out. In the second movie, the lines between Grande and Glinda blurred.
Ariana Grande as Glinda in “Wicked: For Good”Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Glinda, for all her faults, is a complex character — not too dissimilar to Grande having had a few faults in her career that she’s had to manage in the public eye. Like her Wicked character, she’s lost a love that she didn’t have much of a chance in saving, and there were casualties that she couldn’t have stopped. Those moments where she’s overwhelmed with emotion brought me back to the moments of watching Grande do interviews in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing, where she is spiritually torn apart and so clearly trying to keep herself together.
On top of that, she was subjected to accusations that she was “milking” Miller’s death for clout — and those accusations clearly came from hollow-minded individuals with access to the internet. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t wish half of what Ariana has gone through on my worst enemy. It doesn’t matter what she’s done or what people think she’s done in the past couple of months — she’s a person whose gone through a number of traumatic events and this project is clearly giving her a space to heal.
Ever since filming began back in 2023, it was clear how much this project meant to the entire cast and crew, but especially Grande, who wrote a lengthy Instagram caption about how special this production has been to her. “I don’t want it to end. so while i am still here, present, now, i just wanted to….exclaim my tremendous gratitution [sic] ! and allow my heart to overflow. i hope this isn’t all a dream because as present as i am attempting to be, it sure does feel like one,” her caption read. “To be transforming and healing parts of me that i never knew needed it. or maybe did.” She ended the post saying, “My heart will be stuck here forever.”
Watching her in both Wicked movies made me want to be with her in Oz as long as she planned to stay there.
Moises Mendez II is a staff writer at Out magazine. Follow him on Instagram @moisesfenty.
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