‘A magical beginning’: Ariana Grande takes us right back to the start of her ‘Wicked’ role with a paper crown

Ariana Grande’s casting in Wicked has been one of the most exciting things to happen in the entertainment industry in recent years. The musical drama film (adapted from The Wizard of Oz) has been met with critical praise, and “the boy is mine” singer and her co-star Cynthia Erivo slayed with their outfits on the promotional tour (and they also managed to drum up even more excitement as their looks perfectly channeled their characters). It’s been an exciting few months as we eagerly awaited the release last week, but now, Grande has taken us right back to the beginning!

In celebration of her character Glinda and her journey to transform into her, Grande posted a photo on Instagram showing herself wearing the first draft of the character’s beautiful and iconic crown. In the photo from over two years ago, the actress poses with her eyes closed. Her hair is also notably much darker than before she lightened it to transform into Glinda. In the caption, she shared her thoughts, writing, “Sept 2022, first crown fitting made of laser cut paper i love you @paultazewell.”

Ariana Grande takes us back to the beginning of her Wicked journey, and it’s everything

Fans were excited about the post, and flocked to the comment section with their thoughts. “A magical beginning,” a comment reads. “i’m so proud of you our star,” another shared. Other reactions include, “give !! paul !! tazewell !! his !! oscar !! immediately !!” and “that’s paper ?!?! Sooo pretty.” Tazewell also commented on Grande’s post, showing his appreciation for the star. “The very beginning of the crowning glory for your Galorious Glinda. I love you too @arianagrande,” he wrote.

Paul Tazewell is a costume designer for film and Broadway, and is responsible for this beautiful crown. In June 2024, an Instagram account, Glinda Design, created an appreciation post to show fans the finished crown design (completed with over 3,000 Leopard Strass crystals) and the incredible talent and hard work that went into bringing it to life — and it is absolutely gorgeous!

Tazewell discussed his role in the film in an interview with Teen Vogue in November 2024, including his goal to make the leading ladies feel gorgeous: “For the Bubble Dress, how we established that as a shape was very important for [Ariana], as well…I wanted for [Ariana and Cynthia] to feel beautiful in everything that they wore. I wanted to establish the perfect silhouettes for them,” he said. “Part of that was corseting them and giving them the underpinnings for the dresses to hang in just the right way. It’s almost as if it was drawn or rendered — animation — but it’s actually alive.”

Ariana Grande has admitted to getting into the role, changing many aspects of herself to allow the character to consume her — and it paid off! “Glinda’s makeup kinda made me transform my entire look and my entire relationship to makeup. I just love it so much,” she told Teen Vogue in November 2024. She continued, “There’s no thick eyeliner. There’s no heavy crease. It’s just really warm and open and pretty.”

It was not just the makeup that played a considerable part in Grande becoming Glinda. “My pop persona is such a characterized version on its own,” she told Vogue in September 2024. “Beauty really helped me deconstruct that person and find Glinda. Even though I was wearing wigs, I needed to be blonde, too.” Not only did she opt for a lighter hair color, but she also dyed her eyebrows, noting how they gave Glinda a “softness.”

If we ever needed proof that Ariana Grande is a serious actress who takes her performances seriously, this is it!