<p id=”par-1_44″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/ariana-grande/”>Ariana Grande</a> is an <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ariana-grande-first-oscar-nomination-wicked-cynthia-erivo-makes-academy-history.html/”>Oscar nominee</a> because of <em>Wicked</em>. But the movie based on the Broadway musical didn’t necessarily give the 31-year-old lots of extra zeroes in her bank account. According to the director of <em>Wicked</em>, Grande might’ve even lost money starring in <em>Wicked</em>. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-grande-focused-on-nothing-but-wicked-during-filming”>Grande focused on nothing but ‘Wicked’ during filming </h2>
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<iframe title=”Wicked – Official Trailer” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/6COmYeLsz4c?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-2_32″>In a February 2025 interview with <a href=”https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/ariana-grande-wicked-oscars-music-love-1236132418/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Hollywood Reporter</a>, <em>Wicked </em>director Jon M. Chu suggested Grande, who played Glinda the Good opposite <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/cynthia-erivo-raw-performance-wicked-most-isolating-painful-scene-tears.html/”>Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba</a>, actually <em>lost</em> money by making the movie. </p>
<p id=”par-3_48″>How is that possible? After all, <em>Wicked</em> broke box office records on opening weekend in November 2024 and is now nominated for 10 Oscars. Because, as the director explained, Grande gave <em>Wicked</em> her complete attention during the year and a half she spent in London, England, during filming. </p>
<p id=”par-4_28″>That meant no singing, songwriting, or touring for the Grammy winner. “Can you imagine how much money she must be losing by doing Glinda?” Chu told the outlet. </p>
<p id=”par-5_43″>While the “<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ariana-grande-recorded-3-versions-thank-u-next-case-married-pete-davidson.html/”>Thank U, Next</a>” singer likely made millions from <em>Wicked</em> (more on that later) she’s had some very big paydays in recent years. Between 2019 and 2020 alone she made $72 million from her Sweetener World Tour, according to a <a href=”https://www.forbes.com/celebrities/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Forbes</a> estimate. </p>
<p id=”par-6_17″>According to Forbes, Grande made $72 million between 2019 to 2020 thanks to her Sweetener World Tour. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-also-devoted-lots-of-time-to-her-wicked-audition”>She also devoted lots of time to her ‘Wicked’ audition</h2>
<p id=”par-7_31″>Grande started training for <em>Wicked</em> long before she landed the role of Glinda. As the formal audition process got closer, the Grammy winner started meeting regularly with acting coach Nancy Banks. </p>
<p id=”par-8_51″>Banks gave Grande “a crash course in acting,” which involved monologues from other productions because <em>Wicked</em> didn’t have a script yet. “Three times a week, two hours a day for months, she just kept her head down and went from vocal class [with Eric Vetro] to me,” Banks told the outlet. </p>
<p id=”par-9_21″>“The really great ones work their a**es off…Banks” said added. “But she wore me down—and I mean that delightfully, of course.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivo-were-paid-the-same-amount-for-wicked”>Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were paid the same amount for ‘Wicked’</h2>
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<iframe title=”Elphaba & Glinda Arrive At Shiz | Wicked” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/xC0yCVN22ao?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<p id=”par-10_36″>After false reports began circulating in November 2024 that Grande made $15 million playing Glinda while Erivo only made $1 million as Elphaba, Universal Studios dismissed the claim, saying both actors were paid the same amount. </p>
<p id=”par-11_36″>“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a spokesperson for Universal said in a statement (via <a href=”https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-wicked-equal-pay-1236223851/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Variety</a>). “The women received equal pay for their work on ‘Wicked.’”</p>
<p id=”par-12_22″>Universal didn’t reveal exactly how much each of them although Erivo and Grande have since shared that they negotiated their contracts together. </p>
<p id=”par-13_36″>“We went through our contracts together and called each other up. ‘Did you see that? What do you think about that? Let’s get it together!’” Grande told <a href=”https://variety.com/2025/film/news/ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-wicked-oscar-buzz-queer-glinda-part-2-1236261951/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Variety</a> in a joint interview with her <em>Wicked</em> co-star.</p>
<p id=”par-14_30″>“We both went through it—‘What number are we doing? How do you feel about that?’ We were really f***ing honest. And that’s really rare. People don’t do that,” Erivo added. </p>
<p id=”par-15_11″>The second installment, <em>Wicked: For Good</em>, premieres on Nov. 21, 2025. </p>