Ariana Grande has opted out of having her stage name used in the credits for ‘Wicked: For Good.’
The Grammy winner, whose real name is Ariana Grande-Butera, revealed the emotional reason for this during press for “Wicked” last year.
“Technically, this is my little girl’s name,” the 32-year-old “Victorious” alum explained on the “Streaming Services with Justin Hill” podcast in November 2024. “Strictly speaking, it’s the name of a small ant.”
Notably, Grande is the last name of the actress’ mother Joan, and Boutella is the last name of her father Edward.
She went on to call her role as Glinda in the film adaptation a “homecoming” to her childhood self.
“I feel like I’ve come back to myself in a lot of ways through what I’ve learned,” the singer said of the lessons she learned from both her character and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.
“That was my name when I went to see a[Broadway]show when I was 10 years old,” she recalled, adding that using her real name “felt like a really nice way to honor that.”
The choice was one she “really wanted” and one that “felt like it really came full circle.”
She agreed with host Justin Hill that it was a “love letter” to herself and to her father, who “cried” at the “emotional” act.
“I took it out on my laptop and secretly recorded him,” the former Nickelodeon star recalled. “I told him I wanted to show him the typography for the credits, because he’s a graphic designer and loves that kind of thing. That was a big surprise.”
She hasn’t talked about doubling down on her decision for the second film, which opens Friday.
Just as Grande and Erivo did last time, the co-stars continue to make headlines for their close bond while promoting “Wicked: For Good.”
Not only did Erivo, 38, step in when a rabid fan ambushed Grande at the film’s Singapore premiere, but the hitmaker opened up about why they like to “touch each other” so much on his podcast, Good Hang.
The “Sam & Cat” alum explained that he “sends a lot of energy through his hands.”
She “didn’t even realize it was about me” until the press tour moment went viral.
