interviews with Ariana Grande, Jon M. Chu and Jonatha Bailey

Although Universal Pictures did not explain why it chose Brazil to be the first country to host the world premiere of “Wicked: Part 2“, it was clear that the reason was the too much attention that the Brazilian public was already showing to the two great universes that collided in cinema: the musical Wicked, which originated on Broadway and which has attracted thousands of fans around the world since it debuted in 2003, and Ariana Grande, a pop diva with a huge reach in Brazil.

In early November, O PEOPLE had the opportunity to join a team of journalists from Latin America to participate in the event and have the chance to meet Cynthia Erivo, the musical’s protagonist actress who, if she wins the Oscar for the role, could become EGO (term in English that names artists who have won major American awards: Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar and Tony).

In the opening week of film, Eagerly awaited by fans who spent a year waiting for the story’s cinematic conclusion, the conversation continued. In a rare opportunity of just three minutes, the reporter spoke with Ariana Granof and Jonathan Bailey of the cast, and with Jon M. Chu, director of both parts.

Ariana Grande

THE PEOPLE – You’re a great singer, but I don’t want to ask you about music. Glinda is your biggest film role to date, so what has she taught you about acting?

Ariana Grande – She taught me so much… I may never get to play a role that has so much scope again. There’s so much that’s being asked of Glinda, at every moment… There’s comedy, there’s really big emotions, there’s great physical clown comedy, and there’s also very quiet pain. There is opera singing, there is dancing… This character is a gift because she is a great challenge. I’m so grateful, I feel very grateful because it seemed like an incredible exercise to have to use so many different tools for the same role. She is definitely a dream, as an actress, to play.

THE PEOPLE – You already have many fans of your music, here in Brazil your fan base is huge, and now you are facing other fans, the fans of the “Wicked” mythology. How do you feel about this?

Ariana Grande – It’s really exciting. I’ve had a relationship with my fans for maybe 15 years… Oh my God, 15 years… And it’s such a beautiful thing to be growing with them and also meeting this whole new fan base. The overlap of the two is there, but it’s beyond anything I’ve ever known before. I’m very grateful for my fans who have been here the whole time to grow with me and to be along for the ride. Because my career is kind of evolving and changing shape, and they seem to be so excited for the journey. And that’s something I don’t take for granted. I am very
grateful for them.

Jonathan Bailey

THE PEOPLE – Jonathan, as someone with a career in theater, what did you bring to “Wicked” from the stage? And what did you need to unlearn for the film?

Jonathan Bailey – A very good question. Well, I can tell you right away that I brought a love for the process. I did my first season at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1996, when I was seven, and it’s that repeat thing: you go again, and again, and again. In the film there is a precision and I wanted to really embody Fiyero and be brazen, but I also had to contain that and always be aware of everything coming at the camera lens. In theater it’s so extraordinary to be able to recite some of the greatest lines ever written, and you just go around in a circle to see people. But with the film it was different. It’s a very lean character on the page, Fiyero, so I knew it was all nonverbal. And I think everyone in this film had the opportunity to take the audience with them.

Jobs Men

THE PEOPLE – We know the two parts were made together, but is there something about how audiences and critics reacted to the first film that you changed in the second part, even if only in post-production?

Jon M. Chu – We edit both at the same time too. So, 15 weeks after we finished filming both (features) at the same time, I needed to know the complete master plan of what we had, the story we were going to tell. Because it was never a movie and its sequel; it was always just one film, the cinematic experience of two films… I think what happened in film one, the whole cultural earthquake that happened, gave us freedom in film two, gave us confidence. The next day is when you realize how independence can feel like rejection. And home… the thing you’ve been defending this whole time and can feel… why? Why do I still want to defend a place that doesn’t even love me? Who really wants me dead? These questions are very relevant right now, and they allowed us to really get in there. I think if movie one didn’t work well, movie two would be a totally different thing.