Fans ofAriana GrandeandCynthia Erivo’s live performances now have even more of a reason to look forward toWicked.Jon M. Chu, director of the upcoming movie musical, confirmed in a new interview withVanity Fairthat the film’s two leads sang live on set.“These are live vocals,” Chu revealed. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F— the pre-records. We’re going live.’"“There’s going to be a lot of wind in your air pipes. Is that okay,” Chu recalled asking the actors, to which they replied, “‘Yeah. That’s what we do.’“Singing live for the project also came with added challenges, as Grande and Erivo — who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively — shared in theVanity Fairfeature that Erivo had to belt out track “Defying Gravity” while on a harness, while Grande jumped on a chandelier during a number of her own at one point.“She was just so excited to perform for her new friend,” Grande said of Glinda. “She wanted to do a trick.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo appear in ‘Wicked.'.Universal Pictures/YoutubeDuring aconversation last monthon Amazon Music’sZach Sang Show, Grande described her 6-month preparation for the film adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s hitBroadway musical. As she explained, she “never wanted something as badly as I did this."“I had no expectations, I was just thankful to go in at all, I was so excited to have the opportunity to audition,” Grande shared, adding that she had “been hunting” producer Marc Platt for nearly a decade.“Since I was 20, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know when this is happening, but when it’s happening, may I please at least just audition?’ That’s all I wanted, was an audition,” grande said. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”Preparation for the role included “voice lessons every day, acting lessons every day,” Grande shared, adding that she ultimately “trained every single day."“I am a person who started on Broadway and I’ve always been a musical theater person,” said Grande, who first appeared on Broadway in themusical13. “It all happened absolutely as it was meant to be.”Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesGrande and Erivo also teamed up this month at the Academy Awards to present the trophy for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, as they dressed in their characters respective go-to colors.Other actors in the two-partWickedon-screen adaptation includeJonathan Baileyas Fiyero,Jeff Goldblumas the Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose,Bowen Yangas Pfannee,Keala Settleas Miss Coddle,Ethan Slateras Boq andMichelle Yeohas Madame Morrible.Wicked: Part Oneis in theaters Nov. 27.Part Twowill follow on Nov. 26, 2025.
Fans ofAriana GrandeandCynthia Erivo’s live performances now have even more of a reason to look forward toWicked.
Jon M. Chu, director of the upcoming movie musical, confirmed in a new interview withVanity Fairthat the film’s two leads sang live on set.
“These are live vocals,” Chu revealed. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F— the pre-records. We’re going live.’”
“There’s going to be a lot of wind in your air pipes. Is that okay,” Chu recalled asking the actors, to which they replied, “‘Yeah. That’s what we do.’"
Singing live for the project also came with added challenges, as Grande and Erivo — who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively — shared in theVanity Fairfeature that Erivo had to belt out track “Defying Gravity" while on a harness, while Grande jumped on a chandelier during a number of her own at one point.
“She was just so excited to perform for her new friend,” Grande said of Glinda. “She wanted to do a trick.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo appear in ‘Wicked.'.Universal Pictures/Youtube
Universal Pictures/Youtube
During aconversation last monthon Amazon Music’sZach Sang Show, Grande described her 6-month preparation for the film adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s hitBroadway musical. As she explained, she “never wanted something as badly as I did this.”
“I had no expectations, I was just thankful to go in at all, I was so excited to have the opportunity to audition,” Grande shared, adding that she had “been hunting” producer Marc Platt for nearly a decade.
“Since I was 20, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know when this is happening, but when it’s happening, may I please at least just audition?’ That’s all I wanted, was an audition," grande said. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Preparation for the role included “voice lessons every day, acting lessons every day,” Grande shared, adding that she ultimately “trained every single day.”
“I am a person who started on Broadway and I’ve always been a musical theater person,” said Grande, who first appeared on Broadway in themusical13. “It all happened absolutely as it was meant to be.”
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Grande and Erivo also teamed up this month at the Academy Awards to present the trophy for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, as they dressed in their characters respective go-to colors.
Other actors in the two-partWickedon-screen adaptation includeJonathan Baileyas Fiyero,Jeff Goldblumas the Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose,Bowen Yangas Pfannee,Keala Settleas Miss Coddle,Ethan Slateras Boq andMichelle Yeohas Madame Morrible.
Wicked: Part Oneis in theaters Nov. 27.Part Twowill follow on Nov. 26, 2025.
source: people.com
