Did Charlie Puth Audition for Wicked Role? He Says…

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Turns out Charlie Puth wasn’t one call away from a part in Wicked. 

Following a claim on X that singer Selena Gomez auditioned for the movie starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey, director Charlie confirmed that he never considered her for a role in the film.

I saw his tweet from November 29th, and it cracked me up! He explained he never tried out for Wicked, and honestly, he said he’d be terrible – which is hilarious and so self-aware. It just proves how down-to-earth he is!

The user also claimed that Jennifer Lopez, Shawn Mendes, Renee Rapp, Katy Perry, Harry Styles, Amanda Seyfried, Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, Dove Cameron, Lea Michele, and Jesse J were among those who auditioned.

Although the 33-year-old denied trying out for the part, other actors have confirmed they auditioned for the 2024 movie and its 2025 follow-up. This includes two of the three Jonas Brothers, both of whom were interested in playing the character Fiyero.

I was so surprised to hear this! Nick Jonas recently shared on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that he and I both auditioned for the same part – can you believe it? It turns out we were both going for a role in Wicked! He’d never mentioned it before, and I was completely shocked to find out.

Even though both brothers wanted the same acting role, they made sure to support each other, especially when Jonathan was ultimately cast in the part.

“I said ‘Go in there and kill it,’” Joe explained. “It has to be one of us.”

Amanda has openly discussed the challenge of balancing auditions for the role of Glinda with her filming commitments for the limited series, The Dropout.

You know, I still have recurring dreams about auditioning for Wicked! It’s a role I really, really wanted. It got to the point where I was completely dedicated, even when things got crazy. I was juggling the most challenging role I’d ever taken on – filming the final scene of The Dropout – and I happily sacrificed my entire Sunday just to make it work. I truly went above and beyond to give it my all!

Even though many talented actors could have been cast, director Jon M. Chu has said that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were always his top choices for the roles.

I was skeptical when Ariana Grande first auditioned—I couldn’t imagine her taking on such a role,” he told CBS News in December 2024. “I knew she was funny and a talented singer, but she completely transformed into Glinda. The moment she and Cynthia [Erivo] walked in, it was clear they were born to play those parts—you could see it in their eyes.

More Wicked secrets are just a clock tick away. Keep reading for more.

Ariana Grande, the Grammy-winning singer, is fulfilling a lifelong dream by playing Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie. She first saw the original Broadway show over twenty years ago and met Kristin Chenoweth, who previously played the role. Naturally, Ariana turned to Kristin for advice on how to portray Glinda – from navigating romance to choosing the perfect shoes!

Ariana Grande told Entertainment Weekly that she and Kristin Chenoweth exchanged a lot of video messages during their relationship. Chenoweth joked that they sent so many, she actually filled up all the storage space on her devices.

The two Elphabas shared a similarly spellbinding connection. 

Cynthia Erivo said she contacted Idina Menzel right away, leaving a voicemail simply to say hello and connect with her.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth’s appearances in the two-part Wicked film weren’t just brief cameos; they had a significant role in the 2024 release. When asked if they would return for Wicked: For Good in 2025, Chenoweth explained that she and Menzel had their moment, and now it’s time for the new cast to shine, saying, “It’s their wand and their broom.”

What was the instant connection Erivo felt when she first met Grande? It wasn’t dislike, that’s for sure. Erivo explained to Deadline in 2024 that they met at her home and talked for about five hours. She said they immediately understood each other and felt comfortable, and that easy connection has lasted.

And, no doubt, it’s changed each star for the better. 

From the moment we met, we both agreed to support each other, and we’ve truly done that throughout everything, every step of the way,” Grande explained.

Despite initial uncertainty about live recording during filming, as director Jon M. Chu explained, Ariana Grande was adamant about performing all vocals live alongside Cynthia Erivo. Erivo agreed, stating that singing live would create a deeper connection to the lyrics and to each other.

The film’s U.K. location was truly special. Director Chu described it as feeling like an incredible concert experience, with everyone having the perfect view.

The only real difficulty during filming was that both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were sick just before they needed to record their most important songs.

Cynthia Erivo told The New York Times she tested positive for Covid the week before filming ‘Defying Gravity.’ She explained it felt like a sign to pause and recover, saying, ‘It was like being told, ‘Hold on, Cynthia, now isn’t the time.’

Ariana Grande explained that she joined the set while still recovering from something, wearing a mask during her last few days of recovery to learn the choreography for the big hallway scene.

And try out a few jokes. 

I remember being in the dorm room with her, and I playfully sang into her ear, ‘Stay positive, everything will be okay!’ But honestly, I was no longer feeling optimistic myself – I had already taken the test to find out the results.

Ariana Grande says she doesn’t remember intentionally doing something that became a fan favorite during her performance. She explained on TikTok that when Cynthia Erivo finished a line in the song, Grande enthusiastically shouted “Right!” She first heard it while listening to a studio recording of the performance—before even seeing the movie—and it startled her so much she immediately called director Jon M. Chu while laughing.

Though, added Grande, “For the record, I absolutely do not remember doing this.” 

The lead actors were completely dedicated and willing to trust their gut, even if it meant taking risks. That’s why Cynthia Erivo performed her own stunts, including being lifted and flown through the air with wires. “I was prepared for stunts going in,” she explained in a behind-the-scenes look, “and I really wanted to do them myself.”

She explained it felt like ‘flying with a corset, a harness, and songs.’ But when everything came together, she said, ‘it truly feels like magic.’

During her performance of “Popular,” Ariana Grande famously swung around on a chandelier. However, it wasn’t her who almost got hurt.

During the initial run-through, one of the stunt coordinators positioned himself nearby to prevent me from getting seriously injured, as I recounted on The Tonight Show. He stood calmly and courageously in the corner, but I accidentally almost kicked him in the face with my foot. He didn’t react much and just endured it.

Jonathan Bailey played the role of Fiyero and performed the song “Dancing Through Life” on a unique set. The stage design included three rotating wheels, each with a ladder built into the center.

At nearly 180 feet long, 145 feet wide, and 45 feet high, the structure was incredibly risky, Chu admitted to Entertainment Weekly. He explained that even getting insurance for the project was a major challenge.

Honestly, I was really worried about Jonathan Bailey doing the tornado wheel! Our choreographer, Christopher Scott, admitted he wasn’t even sure they’d let him, because of how dangerous it looked. It totally makes sense though – he’s Fiyero, and we absolutely can’t risk him getting hurt. He has to keep performing!

Rather than relying on pre-programmed settings, they used a team of engineers to watch the performance and adjust the speed in real-time as the dancers moved.

Erivo chose to have her skin airbrushed rather than digitally altered to look green.

In an Instagram video, she described wanting to create a character who felt real, explaining, ‘I envisioned looking in a mirror and seeing a woman with green skin.’ She focused on making the character’s skin look natural, with details like freckles and varying tones. The character’s green eyes, she added, weren’t just a surface feature, but a part of her inherent identity.

They dubbed her particular shade “Cynthia Green.” 

To create realistic and consistent freckles, Cynthia Erivo had a mold made of her face. They poked tiny holes in the mold, then used it like a stencil to airbrush on the freckles, ensuring they stayed in place. She described the process on The Kelly Clarkson Show in November 2024.

Despite her many piercings, the actress agreed to a simple compromise. When the production team asked if she’d consider concealing them, she was happy to explore other options instead of completely covering them up.

Erivo told Elle she has so many piercings that the team had to create fake ears for her to wear during filming. ‘Those weren’t my real ears!’ she explained.

She explained to Elle that painting could take up to four hours, depending on the level of detail—specifically, how much of the figure she included, from the head and chest to the hands and full body.

Ariana Grande, on the other hand, described her transformation process as surprisingly simple – essentially just a few quick steps. As she explained on set, she was the quickest to get ready. This involved covering her tattoos, carefully putting on a wig, and applying makeup that ultimately led her to rethink her overall approach to beauty.

She explained the makeup look was subtle, avoiding dark eyeliner or overly defined eyes. Instead, the focus was on lashes shaped like a cat’s eye – a lift she typically enjoys – but presented in a more natural way, staying true to one’s natural appearance.

Ariana Grande was thrilled to wear Glinda’s famous, fluffy pink dress. She described it as being covered in “pink and fluff” and revealed it took an incredible 225 hours to create, with over 20,000 beads sewn on. She was so impressed by the detail, she said she almost had a heart attack from the thoughtfulness put into it.

Elphaba’s costume was carefully designed. Costume designer Paul Tazewell drew inspiration from the textures of mushrooms and fungi, creating a pleated dress that, according to Cynthia Erivo, felt like velvet with layers of purple and lace.

According to Tazewell, the material is created by layering a finely pleated fabric onto a foundation, which gives it a wavy texture.

The set designers paid incredible attention to every detail. For example, the train to the Emerald City, weighing 16 tons, took two full days to move into position. And the vibrant fields of Munchkinland weren’t created with computer graphics; instead, nine million real tulips were planted across 25 acres in Norfolk to make the scene come alive.

Chu observed that they carefully built the forest of Oz, making sure to keep the overall picture in mind while focusing on the details.

He explained, offering a glimpse behind the scenes, that the success hinged on meticulous attention to detail. He was amazed by the entire process – how sketches and concepts could transform into the finished product they were seeing right then.

Knowing Ariana Grande well, Kristin Chenoweth gave her a special gift: custom jackets created by Janan Studio and decorated with crystals by Haus of Crystals.

In December 2024, the Broadway star shared a sweet on-set moment on Instagram, describing leading their daughter as ‘a little physical memento of our ‘passing of the wand.”

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo proved their friendship is truly lasting with matching tattoos that say “for good.” Grande shared on The Kelly Clarkson Show that they intentionally got the tattoos placed on opposite sides of their bodies so the messages would connect when they held hands.

They also got matching poppy flowers and hearts, and Erivo drew a broom and a hat on her arms.

Erivo told Elle that she feels like she’s gained a sister, and that they instantly felt a strong connection with each other.

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2025-12-01 18:48