Kristin Chenoweth – who played Glinda in the original Broadway production of Wicked – has responded to Ariana Grande saying the character is ‘in the closet.’
The Pushing Daisies actress, 56 – who recently attended the Los Angeles premiere of the musical fantasy adaptation – shared her thoughts after the pop star, 31, made the suggestion in an interview with Gay Times.
Grande took on the role of Glinda in the film – which officially opened in theaters on Friday – while Cynthia Erivo portrayed Elphaba, a character that was originally played by Idina Menzel.
Ariana had told the outlet that Glinda ‘might be a little in the closet’ – but soon garnered backlash as fans accused of ‘queerbaiting.’
The singer’s comments were later shared on an Instagram post by E! News and sparked Chenoweth to jump to the comment section.
The actress – who played Glinda on the Broadway stage beginning in 2003 – simply typed out, ‘I thought so too way back then…’
Kristin Chenoweth, 56 – who played Glinda in the original Broadway production of Wicked – has responded to Ariana Grande, 31, saying the character is ‘in the closet’; seen earlier this month in NYC
Grande reflected on her Wicked character’s sexuality in a recent interview with the U.K. outlet Gay Times alongside Erivo – and the two were asked about fans who ship their characters as a romantic duo.
‘Glinda might be a little in the closet. You never know! Give it a little more time,’ she said in the interview.
Grande also said Oz is a ‘celebration of uniqueness’ adding, ‘everyone is just so beautifully queer and that roots all the way back to the L. Frank Baum books, where, like, literally the most commonly used word in the books is “queer.”‘
The star went on to say that ‘everyday in the Emerald City [the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz] is a Pride parade… even like the chickens, those chickens are gay.’
Elsewhere in the interview she called Doctor Dillamond, played by Peter Dinklage, a ‘gay icon.’
Meanwhile, Erivo said of her green witch, ‘I think Elphie, she goes wherever the wind blows.’
‘I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection that both of them have.’
‘They do have a relationship. It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it, you know?’ Erivo added. ‘Because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.’
The actress – who played Glinda on the Broadway stage beginning in 2003 – simply typed out, ‘I thought so too way back then…’
Ariana had told the outlet that Glinda ‘might be a little in the closet’ – but soon garnered backlash as fans accused of ‘queerbaiting’
Grande took on the role of Glinda in the film – which officially opened in theaters – while Cynthia Erivo portrayed Elphaba, a character that was originally played by Idina Menzel; Chenoweth and Menzel seen above in 2004
Grande then said of her Good Witch character, ‘And trust and truth. Just such a safe space for one another, which is what all relationships should be, whether it’s romantic or platonic.’
‘I mean, it is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality,’ Grande shared. ‘It’s just kind of a deep safety within each other. And that’s probably why they ship it.’
The interviewer then asked if everyone in Oz was LGBTQ+. ‘I think so, a little bit,’ Cynthia said. ‘Yeah,’ Ariana concurred.
In Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba start as enemies but grow into friends while they are in school.
There are romantic plots in the film, as Glinda pursues Prince Fiyero, who’s secretly interested in Elphaba, and Boq (played by Grande’s real-life boyfriend Ethan Slater) pines for Glinda, who doesn’t return his affections.
Following the interview fans quickly took online, with one writing: ‘the queerbaiting is getting too out of hand.’
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique in which creators hint at same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation, without actually depicting it.
Another asked: ‘Why can’t they just be platonic?’ while one simply said, ‘OH????’
Grande reflected on her Wicked character’s sexuality in a recent interview with the U.K. outlet Gay Times alongside Erivo – and were asked about fans who ship their characters as a romantic duo; seen earlier this month in NYC
One fan added: ‘ariana reposting gelphie memes onto her story, liking a post abt the flower fields being lesbian colored, saying the boy is mine is about elphaba, and then saying glinda is in the closet…’
‘Ariana is going hard on this ship! First she says Glinda is a little in the closet and now she’s wearing Elphie’s hat?! Girl.’
However some fans had a different outlook, with one commenting on X: ‘Ariana confirmed Glinda is a little out of the closet! We won!’
The leading ladies also did another interview with GLAAD, where they were asked about what they hoped LGBTQ audiences would gain from Wicked.
‘That you deserve all the good things. That your difference is what makes you special. That your queerness is beautiful. That I love you.’
Following the interview fans quickly took online, with one writing: ‘the queerbaiting is getting too out of hand’
However some fans had a different outlook, with one commenting on X: ‘Ariana confirmed Glinda is a little out of the closet! We won!’
The interviewer then asked if everyone in Oz was LGBTQ+. ‘I think so, a little bit,’ Cynthia said. ‘Yeah,’ Ariana concurred
‘Elphaba is just like you, and she understands what it feels like to be alone and to feel different, but that doesn’t make you any less special than you were born to be,’ Erivo said.
Speaking about the fantasy world of The Wizard of Oz, Grande added: ‘Oz is a very queer place and has always been, even from the L. Frank Baum books. It’s always been queer.’
Jon M. Chu directed the highly-anticipated adaptation, which also stars Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh.
Since its release on Friday, the film has already opened with surprising box office numbers – raking in $19.2million in its first week alone.
