The highly-anticipated Wicked movies are finally in production with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo taking up the roles of Glinda and Elphaba. As with any beloved adaptation, there have been years of discourse about who fans wanted to play the good witch ahead of Grande's casting, with many hoping Dove Cameron would take on the role instead. And, as it turns out the popular pick did in fact brush brooms with starring in Jon M. Chu’s epic two-part adaptation. Now, she's opening up about the process, and how excited she is for the pop star who landed the role of the good witch.
Dove Cameron is beloved for her role in Disney Channel’s Descendants movies along with currently starring in Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon! , both of which have had her working closely with Wicked’s original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth. So, it makes sense why people would think of the young actress as the perfect person to take on the role. Here’s what the singer and actress recently said when asked if she auditioned for the upcoming movie musical:
I definitely went out for it. I know that for everybody who did go out for it, it was a very long process. It was one of the longer processes I’ve been a part of.
Whoa, turns out Cameron was in fact up for the Wicked movies, per The Wrap. Although she, unfortunately, missed out on a part she previously called “the role of a lifetime.” Although, she’s totally rooting for Ariana Grande’s Glinda too. In Cameron’s words:
I’m so excited for Ariana. She’s a genuinely dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young. I think she’s gonna kill it. I think the whole cast is phenomenal head to toe. So, like, as a fan, I’m really, really excited to see it.
Both singers came up around the same time, with Dove Cameron being a Disney Channel kid on Liv and Maddie from 2013 to 2017, whilst Grande got her start on Nickelodeon's Victorious from 2010 to 2013 before starring in the spinoff Sam & Cat for one season in 2013.
Since then, Ariana Grande has gone on to become one of the world’s biggest pop stars as she released six albums over the last decade. Cameron has mainly focused on acting, but has recently come up as a recording artist in her own right, especially with the platinum single “Boyfriend,” though she has yet to put out her own album.
Dove Cameron and Ariana Grande actually starred together in 2016’s Hairspray Live! TV special where Cameron played Amber Von Tussle and Grande played Penny Pingleton. In the live NBC production, Kristin Chenoweth also starred in it with the pair as Amber's mother Velma Von Tussle. Both singers/actresses have impressive resumes (and vocal ranges), there’s no doubt about that, but ultimately Ariana Grande won the big-screen role of Glinda.
Jon M. Chu, the director behind many of the Step Up movies, Crazy Rich Asians and In The Heights is helming Wicked, which is being split into movies and will feature some changes from the Broadway show. Also among the Wicked cast is Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
While the movies were originally set to both premiere on Christmas Day back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, Wicked: Part One’s release date has been shifted to November 27, 2024. Although Dove Cameron didn’t find a role in Wicked, you can see her in Seasons 1 and 2 of the musical series Schmigadoon! with Kristin Chenoweth with an Apple TV+ subscription.
