Ariana Grande is easily one of the most famous people in the world. She's produced hit songs, headlined massive concerts and notched her share of acting credits. Just recently, she dazzled audiences with her performance as Glinda in the box office-breaking 2024 movie schedule entry Wicked. Nevertheless, even she can become flustered around industry bigwigs. Grande recently recalled that happening when she had to ask SNL’s Lorne Michaels for a favor.
The 31-year-old was recently a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she discussed her latest film, the upcoming Wicked sequel and more. As shown in the YouTube video, Ariana Grande and Fallon began to discuss Bowen Yang, who plays one of Glinda’s sidekicks, Pfannee. Yang’s role was seemingly up in the air when casting started due to his Saturday Night Live commitments. With that, Grande volunteered to call the late-night comedy showrunner to make the case for Yang's involvement:
‘I’ll call Lorne’…I don’t know why I did because…no, but it was the scariest moment of my life. You know what I mean? I was realizing in real time I had nothing to say, that, like, oh I have nothing to say and I have no reason he would listen to me.
The Zoolander 2 alum also shared that she’s not sure if she actually played any part in the Nora From Queens actor being cleared to join the ranks of the Wicked cast. The "7 Rings" singer also mentioned that producer Marc Platt, director Jon M. Chu and Universal Studios were much more likely the cause. Nevertheless, the songstress was pleased about how it worked out.
I love Ariana Grande's enthusiasm and earnest spirit in regard to securing the Fire Island alum and then realizing how underprepared she felt. I’ve put myself into such positions and, when they're actually happening, they can be quite surreal. My status is quite different from Grande's, yet I believe her when she says that it was the "scariest moment" of her life. After all, Lorne Michaels himself is a Hollywood institution and has guided some of the most iconic actors during their early days.
The "Side to Side" singer later shared more about the conversation she had with the veteran SNL producer. And, yes, it sounds as nerve-wracking as you probably imagine it to be:
Well, I was just like, um, ‘Oh, hi, Lorne. How are you?’ And he was like–[as Lorne] ‘Hello, Ariana. What do you want?’ In that moment, I realized I don't have what it takes to get this to happen. I was like ‘Oh, no!’
I can only imagine her figuratively and literally taking a step back after hearing Lorne Michaels’ voice on the other end. The Grammy winner revealed that she begged him to allow Bowen Yang's participation. Whoever it was that got the message across, I'm glad it worked. Not only that, but Yang delivered in every scene. For his part, Yang has shared that Michaels had one request in return, which was that he not miss an SNL show.
All of these behind-the-scenes tidbits along with Jon M. Chu’s exciting sequel teases have me pumped for what's to come. We’ll have to wait until the much anticipated sequel, which is part of the 2025 movie schedule, to see how this take on the beloved musical concludes. But, for right now, I'll just say kudos to Ariana Grande for taking some initiative and directly reaching out to one of the most powerful men in Hollywood on behalf of a friend and colleague.
Wicked is playing in theaters now. If you’d like to catch Bowen Yang on the current season of Saturday Night Live, tune into NBC on the titular night at 11:30 PM EST. Those episodes, along with Ariana Grande's latest hosting spot, can be streamed with a Peacock subscription.