Current:Home > NewsAriana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits -QuantumProfit Labs
Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
View
Date:2025-04-14 12:52:58
Ariana Grande is dancing through life with a new name.
After the Eternal Sunshine singer decided to be credited with her full name Ariana Grande-Butera in her new movie Wicked, her dad Edward Butera had the sweetest reaction to the gesture.
“Oh man, he cried,” Ariana told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Nov. 12. “Whoa. Yeah, he cried. I surprised him.”
And the “Positions” singer—who stars alongside Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical—made sure to capture the sentimental moment on camera.
“I pulled it up on my laptop and I recorded him secretly,” she continued. “I told him I wanted to show him the typography of the credits because he’s a graphic designer, he loves that stuff. It was a big surprise and he cried. It was very emotional.”
As for how Ariana was able to pull off the wickedly heartfelt surprise? She had some help from the movie’s “generous” director Jon M. Chu.
“Before he was supposed to send me—sorry Universal, the cat’s out of the bag—he sent me the credits,” she shared. “He knew that people were going to start seeing it soon and he was scared someone was going to talk about it before he got to see it, and we surprised him.”
Ari also explained what led to her decision to include both her dad and mom Joan Grande’s last names in the credits, versus the name she’s used professionally for her whole career.
“That was my name when I first saw Wicked,” she said. “I do feel like this role and this project helped me sort of come home to little Ari. Maybe little pieces of her got lost along the way in this crazy industry and I’m so grateful for the ways in which this experience led me back.”
I kind of just wanted to capture that,” she added. “It doesn’t feel small to me either.”
Keep reading for more of Ariana’s journey to the film’s Nov. 22 release.
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Presenting together at the 2024 Oscars in March, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were already teasing what was in store from the first installment of Wicked, coming to theaters Nov. 22.
Erivo, who plays green-hued "bad" witch Elphaba, looked ready for both the red carpet and battle in leather Louis Vuitton with reptilian ruffles down the back. And Grande, who costars as "good" witch Glinda, channeled old Hollywood glam in a powder-pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture column gown magically accented with enough fabric to provide a peplum, a stole, a bustle and a train all at once.
The Wicked train chugged into CinemaCon in April with Grande all aboard in a white and pink Oscar de la Renta minidress that resembled a blooming flower, while Erivo sported a green and silver Versace ensemble, including fierce thigh-high satin boots.
Not the colors of dear old Shiz, but she has an open invitation to play Quidditch for Slytherin.
Gold for best dressed went to team Wicked at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the costars were spotted at multiple events.
But first, they kicked off the Games at the July 26 Opening Ceremony, Erivo in a strapless green Louis Vuitton gown with a gravity-defying silhouette and Grande in a drop-waist powder-pink Thom Browne dress that would've made Audrey Hepburn proud.
Erivo, who also performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the event, looked wickedly good in a glittering emerald gown by Naeem Khan at the 2024 Academy Museum of Motion Pictures 4th Annual Gala on Oct. 19.
Another popular choice: Grande's leather-trimmed polka dot ball gown courtesy of Balmain.
Erivo accessorized her T-shirt and cropped jeans with bright-green pumps and a patterned Louis Vuitton coat at an Oct. 28 screening of Wicked at the DGA Theater in New York.
Grande looked ready for her first day of witch university in a cream-colored button-down vest and matching skirt by Atelier Versace.
It's unclear if Grande floated to the WSJ. Magazine 2024 Innovator Awards inside a magical bubble, but her delicately embroidered white Vivienne Westwood gown was fit for such a journey.
Meanwhile, Erivo's Erdem dress—gray pinstripes overlaid with embellished green silk—was Land of Oz meets Wall Street.
Grande went full Glinda at the Nov. 3 Australian premiere of Wicked in a pink Vivienne Westwood ball gown.
Erivo leaned into Elphaba's wicked future at the premiere in a black Louis Vuitton strapless gown, accessorized with a massive lion's head choker and another bedazzled green manicure.
"I love this outfit so much because it speaks to my character," the British actress told Vogue Australia before heading to the red carpet (or, in this case, yellow brick road). "It reminds me of wings and defying gravity."
Erivo cast yet another spell at the Nov. 5 Wicked photocall in Australia, this time in an emerald and black Marc Jacobs blouse paired with a black embroidered skirt.
And for her last trick: Dividing the eye's attention between her dainty fascinator and the towering multistrap Mary Jane platforms that added at least 6 inches to her 5-foot-1 frame.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (1)
Related
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Donald Trump might make the Oscar cut – but with Sebastian Stan playing him
- Hawaii can ban guns on beaches, an appeals court says
- Nebraska is evolving with immigration spurring growth in many rural counties
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Ben Affleck Flashes Huge Smile in Los Angeles Same Day Jennifer Lopez Attends Red Carpet in Toronto
- Why Ben Affleck Is Skipping Premiere for His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Amid Divorce
- Michael Keaton recalls his favorite 'Beetlejuice' scenes ahead of new movie
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Caity Simmers is youngest World Surfing League champion after showdown with Caroline Marks
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder | The Excerpt
- Taylor Swift Leaves No Blank Spaces in Her Reaction to Travis Kelce’s Team Win
- Stakeholder in Trump’s Truth Social parent company wins court ruling over share transfer
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Unstoppable Director Addresses Awkwardness Ahead of Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Film Premiere
- You Have 1 Day To Get 50% Off the Viral Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Exfoliating Peeling Gel & More Ulta Deals
- Pamela Anderson takes a bow at TIFF for ‘The Last Showgirl’
Recommendation
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Ashton Kutcher Shares How Toxic Masculinity Impacts Parenting of His and Mila Kunis’ Kids
A Georgia fire battalion chief is killed battling a tractor-trailer blaze
15-year-old detained in Georgia for threats about 'finishing the job' after school shooting
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Redefine Maternity Style With the Trendy and Comfortable Momcozy Belly Band
Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder, child cruelty
Paris Hilton Drops Infinite Icon Merch Collection to Celebrate Her New Album Release