7 Wicked moments completely improvised by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo
28 November 2024, 17:25
Here's all the genius moments from Wicked that were improvised by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on set - and that made it to the final cut.
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If watching Wicked taught us anything, it's that both Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) know how to make a scene work. Whether they're using their chemistry, their complimenting vocals or their amazing comedic timing, it just works.
One thing that definitely did work was the freedom Wicked director Jon M. Chu gave to his leading ladies, allowing them to improvise scenes and sequences while filming.
In fact, a lot of the improvised moments that Ariana and Cynthia came up with on-set actually made it to into the film - from Ariana's high kick in Popular to Cynthia's wink in Defying Gravity.
We love these moments so much that we've put a list together of all the moments from Wicked that were completely improvised.
1. Ariana Grande's high kick in 'Popular'
During the phenomenal Wicked scene where Ariana Grande performs the beloved hit Popular, she shows off her theatrical background with plenty of jumps, spins and kicks. However, there was one improvised moment from the scene that took choreographer Christopher Scott by shock.
Speaking to LA Times, Christopher revealed that Glinda's extremely high kick during the sequence was completely improvised by Ariana.
He explained: "I knew she [Ariana] had a musical theatre background, plus what she’s been doing in the pop world, so I really didn’t hold back with any movement because I knew she was fully capable.
"But that high kick in the hallway — you can’t know somebody can do that until they do it. She was messing around and free-styling, and then she practically kicked her face. I’m like, 'Are you kidding me? You’ve been holding out on me!' We immediately put it in."
2. Cynthia Erivo's wink in 'Defying Gravity'
Cynthia has revealed one of her favourite improvised moments in Wicked is when she winks at Glinda while performing the belter Defying Gravity, and it's one of Ariana's favourites as well.
Speaking on the red carpet at the premiere, Cynthia explained how, in the moment in the attic where Glinda places the cape around Elphaba, the pair were trying not to cry too much. Her notes for the scene were that Elphaba should be more comforting in this moment, and that's where the wink came from.
"The thing that came to me was that I wink at her, like, 'it's ok', it's a wink and a smile. It wasn't written but it was just something happened," Cynthia said.
3. Ariana Grande's wand moment in 'Popular'
Ariana Grande really shows off her comedic talents in Wicked, and no scene proves this as much as the moment in Popular when she is attempting to use her want to change Elphaba's outfit.
According to Cinematographer Alice Brooks, Ariana improvised take after take, just giving the scene more and more humour.
"I think he had like 17 different versions of how it was gonna go," Alice said in an interview.
Cynthia has also spoken about how much fun she had during this moment with Ariana, revealing to Access Hollywood on the red carpet "that whole sequence was just made up on the spot."
4. Ariana Grande's 'oh' during 'What Is This Feeling?'
One of the most spoken about scenes from Wicked is the amazing performance of What Is This Feeling? and especially the dance break Ariana does as Glinda.
While dancing with her many fans behind her, they chant "Poor Glinda, forced to reside, with someone so disgusticified, we just want to tell you, we're all on your side!" The moment many people have picked up on, however, is the very humble 'oh' she says during this verse.
While it hasn't been confirmed whether this was an actual improvised moment, fans on TikTok are sure it's an Ariana-original.
5. Ariana's reaction to meeting the Wizard of Oz
Ariana Grande is on the record saying that the: "A man!" line from Wicked is one of her favourite moments of improv that made it into the final cut of the film. This hilarious moment comes when Elphaba and Glinda finally get to meet the Wizard of Oz.
6. Ariana's 'ok I'm coming!' train moment
One of fans favourite moments from the film is when Elphaba is leaving to go to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz. When the train starts moving, she invites Glinda to join her.
With perfect comedic timing, Ariana says: "No, this is your moment, I couldn't possibly - ok I'm coming!" before jumping on the train with her.
And, yes, you guessed it! This moment was also 100% improvised by Ariana herself.
7. Ariana's bubble malfunction
One of the other beloved moments from the film which really brings Glinda's comedic edge out is when she's talking to the people of Munchkinland following the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.
During this scene, she struggles to hear what people are saying due to the bubble surrounding her. Adding to Glinda's ditsy personality, Ariana added a scene where she shouts: "What did you say?" Iconic.
