Ariana Grande's Name Appears A Little Differently in the Wicked Credits — Here's Why

When the long-awaited film adaptation of Wicked arrives on the big screen in a few weeks' time (click here for tickets), don't be surprised to see an extra surname tacked onto star Ariana Grande's screen credit. It's not a mistake, but an intentional choice.

The Grammy Award-winning artist and actress playing the character of Glinda Upland — aka Glinda the Good — asked to have her name appear as "Ariana Grande-Butera" in Universal Pictures' blockbuster adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. And the reason behind the change is rather heartwarming. 

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Apparently Grande, who was born to executive Joan Grande (currently CEO of Hose-McCann Communications) and graphic designer Edward Butera, really wanted to pay homage to the seminal moment when she first saw the stage production of Wicked on Broadway at the age of 10. That experience also included a memorable backstage encounter with the original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth.

"I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me," Grande explained to The Streaming Service. "I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways, through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba. That was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10-years-old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that. It felt really full circle, and it just felt like something I wanted to do."

Who does Ariana Grande play in the Wicked movie?

Glinda (Ariana Grande) appears in Wicked (2024), directed by Jon M. Chu Photo: Universal Pictures

Grande plays the role of Glinda (nee Galinda) Upland, a pampered and popular student at Shiz University, who ends up becoming the unlikely best friend with social outcast, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo). Both young women ultimately become famous throughout the land of Oz, albeit for different reasons. Glinda, fittingly enough, changes her name to Glinda the Good, while Elphaba becomes the infamous Wicked Witch of the West.

RELATED: What Is Shiz University? Wicked Author Gregory Maguire on the Origin of Oz's School for Magic

"Growing up, I was really into children’s theater and local family productions,” Grande says in the film's production notes. “I played Dorothy in a Wizard of Oz play when I was nine, and Glinda’s humor always stood out to me. Even in our local Boca Raton production, I loved the jokes Glinda made. Then, seeing the original Broadway cast of Wicked when I was 10 was like a dream come true. The songs, the bond between Elphaba and Glinda, and Kristin Chenoweth’s Glinda were incredible. It changed my life in so many ways. Meeting Kristin backstage and getting a little wand and sparkly shower gel from her felt like actual magic. It was a moment I’ll never forget.”