‘Wicked’ auditionee Amanda Seyfried reveals what she really thinks of Ariana Grande’s performance

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are receiving all kinds of love and support over social media and interviews about their performances as Glinda and Elphaba in the box office hit Wicked.

Throughout their press tour over the past couple of months, clips and videos have come out showing the now iconic duo auditioning for their respective roles. It’s been made very clear by director John Chu and the stars of the film that the audition process was long, rigorous, and intense. These were roles that had to be earned. And earn them they did.

However, Erivo and Grande weren’t the only ones who dedicated months and months in hopes of scoring these dream parts. Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables actress Amanda Seyfried was one of many actresses who have stepped out and said they auditioned for the role of Glinda in the two-part Wicked series.

Fans caught a glimpse of what that may have looked like in a recently resurfaced video of the Emmy winner singing Glinda’s signature song “Popular” in a fluffy, very Glinda-esque dress. There were even rumors circling that this very video was her Wicked audition tape.

Amidst rumors flying, Seyfried set the record straight in a conversation with People. She explained that the video was taken in 2020 while preparing for a shoot with Lancôme. She and her stylist, Elizabeth Stewart agreed that the dress was very much Glinda’s vibe. Although she wasn’t auditioning at the time, Seyfried knew the opportunity was coming up and, inspired by the dresses Glindafied vibes, sang a few bars of the song while Stewart was recording.

A few years later, Stewart uploaded the video in celebration of Seyfried’s Golden Globe nomination, which Seyfried admitted might not have been the best idea.

Later on, Seyfried formally auditioned for Wicked and agreed that the process was just as long and arduous as many have said. Grande has confirmed on the film’s press tour that her audition process took around three full months; if Seyfried is one of those actresses Grande admitted to doing a chemistry test with — Grande and Erivo never had a chemistry test — then it’s reasonable to assume Seyfried too spent months in the audition room. Despite losing out on the role, like many of us, the 39-year-old actress thinks the movie turned out “fantastic.”

She said Grande tackled the “extravaganza” very well and even her kids have the soundtrack on a loop in her house. To her, everything turned out as it was meant to. Although she didn’t end up gracing our screens as Glinda, she’s been working on plenty of projects of her own.

The actress is instead preparing for her role alongside Sydney Sweeney in a new thriller called Housemaid, based on a 2022 novel. It’s no musical, but here’s hoping she’ll be singing on our screen again in a new installment of Mamma Mia!. Until then, the Wicked soundtrack will be on repeat in our homes, too.