Between its impressive box office numbers and the glowing reviews, the movie adaptation of Wicked is a crowd-pleaser. Although some fans might not find the ending all that magical, Ariana Grande has shared the reason for her beloved good witch character’s tough choice.
After Glinda and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) go to the Emerald City, Elphaba decides to leave, and Glinda sticks around. Everyone loves singing along to “Defying Gravity,” the catchy song at the conclusion of the story, but not everyone thinks Glinda is in the right for staying around after finding out the Wizard’s true colors.
Grande said Glinda “is strong enough to know that she will never choose that because she can’t. She doesn’t have the tools.” She continued, saying Glinda has “certainty” about what she’s doing.
Grande continued, “It felt how it feels in real life when you really love someone, but the paths that you need to take for your own truth and life and who you are” are different. The singer and actress said it’s possible to accept that road is the right thing for your friend/loved one, but you know you need to go on your own journey.
It’s interesting to hear Grande’s POV that, instead of being weak, Glinda is listening to her gut and staying true to who she is. When Wicked: Part Two comes out, Elphaba will fight the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and attempt to protect the Emerald City’s animals, which is in contrast to his plan to have the monkeys act as his spy on the other inhabitants of Oz. Grande’s POV brings up a fair question: can two people stay friends when they’re not 100% on the same page? There’s no simple answer. Some might say no way, and others can agree to disagree and choose not to talk about the topic they’re not aligned on. Wicked might be a fun and fabulous legendary musical with beautiful music, but as Grande suggested, viewing this as a complex friendship story is also possible, and should, in fact, be the point.
Not everyone agrees with Grande’s take that Glinda couldn’t follow her friend, based on some of the comments on X. Some said the witch showed “cowardice” and they were upset she didn’t support her friend’s cause. There’s no denying that the optics are bad here and many could argue that Glinda needed to get on board. The Wicked ending might not be a fan favorite, but wouldn’t it be boring if Glinda simply agreed with her pal and left with her? Would that set up a fascinating second movie? This conflict makes the musical so much deeper than it would be otherwise and adds layers to the story of Oz as we know it.
Grande and Erivo discussed the journeys the two witches experience with Glamour UK and echoed some of what the “thank u, next” singer shared about the Wicked ending. Erivo said “when you find the truth, what do you do with it?” and continued by saying, “that really is a way for us to find our power, because that is where you seek it in the truth.”
Wicked director Jon M Chu said that when fans watch Wicked: Part Two in November 2025 (what an unfair wait!), “if movie One about choices movie Two is about consequences.” Will Glinda and Elphaba stay friends? Is it even possible for them to find common ground? Do fans even want them to maintain a good relationship considering Glinda’s decision at the end of Part One? Only one thing is clear: the music will be just as good — some may say even better — in the follow-up to the beloved first movie of one of the best musicals of all time.