Every actress who auditioned for Glinda in the Wicked movie

5 December 2024, 09:10 | Updated: 6 December 2024, 18:43

Who auditioned to pay Glinda in the Wicked movie? Picture: Universal Pictures via Alamy

By Katie Louise Smith

Four actresses have confirmed they auditioned for Glinda in Wicked before Ariana Grande landed the role.

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Glinda (or Galinda, if you're a true day one stan) is portrayed brilliantly by Ariana Grande in the new Wicked movie, but the search to find the right actress was a lot more complicated than you might think.

Discussing the Glinda casting process at an event, director Jon M. Chu spoke in detail about finding the right person to play the beloved character. "Every actor who was available wanted to come in and read for Elphaba and Glinda – these are dream roles. We saw everybody, and they were all very good," he said.

"I wouldn't say anybody took it," he added. "I wouldn't say anyone came in and said, 'I am the Glinda of this moment.'"

He was also hesitant about casting Ariana at first, admitting with a laugh: "I was like, 'No way are we hiring Ariana Grande and putting her in Wicked! That's like, too many brands...' And uh, she came in and she was the most interesting person in that room that day."

After being brought back several times, Ariana's commitment, humour and deep understanding of Glinda ultimately earned her the role. But who else has confirmed that they auditioned? Here's the full list of everyone who has confirmed they went out for the part, so far.

Read more: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's Wicked audition tapes are going viral
Read more: Every actress who auditioned for Elphaba in the Wicked movie

Who auditioned to play Glinda in Wicked?

Ariana Grande auditioned "many many" times for the role of Glinda. Picture: Alamy

Dove Cameron

Dove had long been a fan favourite to play Glinda if a Wicked movie was ever made. In fact, in 2019, she responded to all the fan casting chat, telling ET: "I don’t think everyone wants me to be Glinda but, I mean, it’s like the role of a lifetime. I’ve been dreaming of it since I was, like, 7. I mean, I should be so lucky to be considered."

Dove later confirmed that she auditioned for Glinda and that it was a "very long process". Despite not landing the role, Dove was full of compliments for Ariana who had just been announced as the co-lead.

She told The Wrap: "I’m so excited for Ariana. She’s a genuinely dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young," Dove continued. "I think she’s gonna kill it. I think the whole cast is phenomenal head to toe. So, like, as a fan, I’m really, really excited to see it."

Read more: Dove Cameron opens up about losing dream role as Wicked's Glinda

Dove Cameron previously opened up her Glinda audition process. Picture: Getty

Amanda Seyfried

Mamma Mia and Les Misérables star Amanda Seyfried also confirmed she went out for Glinda. Speaking to Backstage, Amanda revealed that she "bent over backwards" auditioning for the coveted role.

At the time, Amanda was also working on The Dropout (which later earned her an Emmy and a Golden Globe) and carved out time on the weekends in order to be able to audition in person.

"I have dreams that I’m still auditioning for Wicked," Amanda said. "Last summer while I was playing Elizabeth [on The Dropout], on the weekends I was auditioning in person to play Glinda in the movie version of Wicked—because I wanted it that much that I was like, 'You know what? Yeah, I have to play the last scene of ‘The Dropout’ on Tuesday. I’ll give my Sunday to you."

She continued: "I literally bent over backwards while playing the hardest role of my life. But I think it also taught me how far I’ve come as a singer, which I really wanted to prove. Because ever since Les Mis, I was like, 'I need to be better. I need to do better.' So whatever comes next in terms of musicals, I’m finally prepared."

Read more: Amanda Seyfried reveals she auditioned to play Glinda in the Wicked movie

Mamma Mia's Amanda Seyfried auditioned for Glinda while also filming a TV series. Picture: Getty

Reneé Rapp

Rising star Reneé, who is also known for her incredible performance as Regina George both on stage and in the Mean Girls musical movie, revealed that she tried out for Glinda on Watch What Happens Live.

When asked if she auditioned, Reneé responded: "I did, I did, yeah. Ariana's gonna be – can I cuss? Ok, she's gonna be f---ing amazing. I'm so excited."

Reneé Rapp briefly confirmed she auditioned for Glinda. Picture: Getty

Taylor Louderman

Shortly after Cynthia Erivo and Ariana's castings were announced, Taylor (who is best known for originating the role of Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway) posted on Instagram expressing her sadness over not landing the role.

Alongside a screenshot of Deadline's casting announcement article, Taylor wrote: “yyyy did I even audition or think I had a chance?!”

“This business…you can’t care too much about any role you’re auditioning for (or you could get hurt & won’t come back) but you have to care enough to give it your all,” she continued, sharing a picture of herself looking tearful. I cared too much this time. I hope it’s okay that I’m sharing this.”

Broadway actress Taylor Louderman confirmed she auditioned for Glinda. Picture: @taylizlou via Instagram

Despite speculation and a handful of unconfirmed lists of actresses circulating online, no one else has confirmed that they auditioned for the role of Glinda just yet.

Everything Everywhere All At Once's Stephanie Hsu (who is listed in those unconfirmed viral social media lists) has also now confirmed that she was asked to audition for Glinda, but turned it down.

Speaking on Watch What Happens Live, Stephanie said: "I don't feel in my heart to be a Glinda/Galinda. And I just saw the movie and Ari is amazing. She's giving, like, Lucille Ball level of comedic performance, so thank God it wasn't me!"

As Jon M. Chu said, countless actresses from stage and screen auditioned for the role with some getting much further than others in the process. Cynthia also confirmed that she screen-tested with a handful of actresses who got down to the final few, but did not name them.

We'll update this article if more stars open up about their Glinda auditions. Watch this space!