Ariane Grande gets why 'Wicked' fans think she's wrong for the part

Ariana Grande has opened up about the pressure of being cast as Glinda in the big-screen version of and said she understands why some fans may have had reservations.

Speaking on the podcast , Grande talked about her long-term love of the original stage musical, and said: "I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong or whatever."

She continued, referring to those who criticised her casting: "Going off of 'Side to Side', I probably would've said the same thing.

"I probably would've said, 'Why the fuck? Kill me. I've waited 20 years for this. Kill me.' I would've said that — as a fan from the outside, knowing of only '7 Rings', probably — I'd say, 'Well, that's bullshit.' So, you know, I get it."

Grande is starring opposite Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the movie musical, which is directed by ' Jon M. Chu. Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum also appear, playing Fiyero and the Wizard of Oz respectively.

The two-time Grammy winner also shared her feelings about the audition process, and breaking out of her pop star mould to take on bigger acting projects.

She said: "This is something I loved so much about auditioning for . It has to be earned. Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it's not just given because they know you for one thing. So, it's fun to have the challenge of reframing people's perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces."

Elsewhere, Grande recently spoke out in support of Erivo regarding the latter's criticism of fan-edited posters and AI content. She also brought together actresses who've previously starred in on Broadway for a special screening of the new film.