Kristin Chenoweth stopped by TODAY on Wednesday (March 9) and offered her take on Ariana Grande‘s role as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie.
“I love her so much, I’ve known her since she was 10,” the Broadway vet gushed to Savannah Guthrie about the pop star. “I think that crown and wand are going to the exact correct person. And I think she’s gonna nail it. Maybe some people do know this about Ari, but she’s really, really funny. And Glinda has to do funny and drama; she has to do it all. And sing high and sing low. And so, there’s the girl,” she concluded before revealing, “I did cry when she got it.”
While the diminutive actress originated the role of Glinda in the beloved Broadway musical back in 2003, Grande will star alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the long-awaited big-screen adaptation of the prequel to The Wizard of Oz directed by Jon M. Chu.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Though the 53-year-old is not slated to be in the movie adaptation of the popular Broadway play, she did have an idea for a potential cameo for her and Idina Menzel — who starred alongside her in the play as Elphaba — as a fun callback to their 2003 roles.
“I just thought it would be really cool if the camera panned by and Idina and I were just there and you just saw me go [whisper into Idina’s ear],” Chenoweth said, referencing the musical’s original poster during her Nov. 22 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Watch Chenoweth rave about Grande below.