Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish on Wicked, “Team Ari” and More
“I felt like a protective nerd, like the gatekeeping fan girl in the room,” Ariana Grande jokingly told the crowd at the DGA Theater Tuesday night. The Oscar nominee, speaking in conversation with Billie Eilish for an FYC event, shared what her non-negotiables were in terms of changes from Wicked’s stage musical to film.
“I’m somewhat of a purist when it comes to making musical changes, especially it has to have an emotional attachment or some sort of believable intention behind it,” she explained. The Eternal Sunshine singer said it felt like her job to protect Glinda.
“Steven Schwartz shared that there was a version of popular in the very beginning that had hip hop drums in it,” Grande told Eilish and the crowd, noting she thought it was fine to share since Schwartz already told the story. “I was like, ‘How do I have this conversation in the most loving, respectful way?’ I was like, ‘This cannot happen.’”
The actress said she “mustered up the courage” to express that she didn’t think that fit Glinda. “How different would life be today if ‘Popular’ had trapped drums in it?” she joked. “Everybody, there’s a time and place, and it’s not with Glinda because she claps on one and three, and that’s OK.”
Eilish and Grande spent much of the evening charmingly gushing over one another, with the younger admitting to her long-time fandom of the night’s star. “I love this girl so much, and I love this movie so much,” Eilish said. Grande immediately telling the “Birds of a Feather” singer the feeling was mutual. Eilish then went onto explain that her official YouTube account has been her personal account since she was 11 years old.
“I was just in the car telling my mom that you can find… There’s like old interviews of you from like 2014, and Billie Eilish comments, ‘I’m team Ari,’” she said, eliciting a big laugh from the crowd and Grande herself. “That makes me so happy,” Grande responded.
Eilish also broached the topic of whether or not Grande wants to take on new acting projects. “I would love that,” Grande said. “I feel like I have so many beautiful artistic outlets, and we are so lucky to be able to do so many artistic things. We wear many hats.”
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