When it came to her take on Glinda, Ariana Grande didn't want to stray too far from the original Broadway musical version of 'Wicked'.

In November 2024, a series of TikTok posts alleged that singer and actress Ariana Grande was diagnosed with cancer (with some posts suggesting it was specifically lung cancer) while filming the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked.

In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:

Ariana Grande proves herself a 'modern-day Lucille Ball' with 'Popular,' the funniest number in 'Wicked.' The film's creative team explains how it all came together.

It's truly impossible to pick a favorite scene from Wicked, but—aside from every time Jonathan Bailey furrows his brow—Ariana Grande's rendition of "Popular" has to be up there. And apparently it was almost completely different. Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz says he pitched Ariana Grande a new version of "Popular," and she fully shut it down.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's version of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked finally becomes a smash, as it debuts at No. 7 on the U.K. singles chart.