If you told me Adam Sandler would one day passionately defend Glinda’s right to slap Elphaba, I would’ve asked what alternate universe we’d stumbled into. Yet here we are. In a recent chat with Ariana Grande, the Billy Madison icon sat down to trade stories about bruises and crying on cue, but the conversation eventually drifted to that moment when Glinda and Elphaba finally snap in the 2025 movie release and go at each other. Honestly, the whole exchange has my wicked heart growing by three sizes.
The exchange was shared in a clip by Variety on their official Instagram account. Sandler confidently plants his flag on Team Glinda, while Grande tries (and fails) to keep a straight face. She explained that the slap came from a grounded place in the characters' relationship, something that felt emotionally earned rather than just dramatic flair. The pop superstar and actress also noted that both witches are hurting in that moment and acting out of deep, complicated pain. Meanwhile, the Happy Gilmore actor had some very on-brand thoughts, saying:
You gave her a zinger a little later in the movie when you’re like, ‘This is mine,’ and you’re like, ‘Yeah,’ or something… You slapped her back. So it was still hurting a little bit… [laughs] She deserved it, I was on your side the whole time. Let her know. Let her know your pain.
During the chat, which you can see below, Grande followed up by laughing her way through a more nuanced take: she sees the confrontation as a collision of two women who have both messed up, and both feel justified in their hurt. For her, the moment wasn’t about “winning” but about letting the truth spill out between them. She emphasized that both Glinda and Elphaba are fully validated in that fight — a perspective that only makes her performance hit harder.
Throughout the interview, that blend of humor and honesty shaped the two stars' entire dynamic. Grande talked openly about the emotional discipline it took to play Glinda, including creating specific “triggers” so she wouldn’t have to tap into personal pain while filming scenes that cut close to the bone. Sandler, often remembered for his funny quotes across some of the best comedies on Netflix, related immediately. He shared his own experiences of repeating tough emotional beats across multiple takes and the pressure of not wanting to let a crew down when the material gets heavy.
And, even with all the serious craft talk, the highlight is still the Wicked Slap Summit of 2025. There’s something incredibly charming about the man behind Bobby Boucher throwing his full support behind Glinda’s moment of fury. The “7 Rings” singer, on the other hand, is doing her best to unpack the emotional wreckage of two witches coming apart at the seams. The whole exchange is chaotic in the best way and somehow, strangely tender.
On paper, pairing Sandler — the Gen X comedy icon who’s spent the last decade slipping into prestige drama and nearing Oscar gold — with Ariana Grande, the pop superstar taking on her most demanding acting role yet in Wicked: For Good, sounds like a wild matchup.
But the conversation is surprisingly grounded and, now, all I can think about is the two of them co-starring in some prestige two-hander. Can someone call the Safdie brothers and have them get started on that script already? I’d watch it in a heartbeat, and I'd love a subsequent press tour in which the two break down the film as thoughtfully (and humorously) as they do the Elphaba slap.
While we wait for that imaginary project to materialize, we at least have Wicked: For Good, now playing in theaters. Also, if you want to catch Adam Sandler’s latest dramatic turn, he stars alongside George Clooney in Jay Kelly, which is available with a Netflix subscription.
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