‘Wicked’ Role Helped Ariana Grande Rediscover True Self

Getting into the character she had long wanted to play helped Ariana Grande shed the character that she had become.

In a cover story for the February 12 edition of The Hollywood Reporter, Grande talked about the adulation she received over her portrayal of Glinda in “Wicked,” a role that earned her an Oscar nomination for actress in a supporting role. It’s a much different vibe from what the 31-year-old said she had often felt as a Nickelodeon TV star-turned-pop music superstar.

“This feeling that people are seeing me — like, actually me — it’s so silly because I’ve been seen for so long, but it feels like it’s maybe for the first time and it’s just different,” said the former coach for Season 21 of “The Voice.”

“It’s been such a deeply healing gift to disappear into this character — to take off one mask and put on another,” Grande told the outlet.

“It became this beautiful evolution of getting to know myself beneath it all. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I love this person underneath the drag.’”

Ariana Grande Suggests Therapy Sessions Be Included For Younger Performers

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Grande, who spent her teenage years starring in Nickelodeon’s Victorious and spinoff series Sam & Cat, has opened up recently about the pressures faced by minors trying to get into the entertainment industry. In the Feb. 10 episode of the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, Grande said she believed music, TV, and film labels should offer mental health resources for young performers, suggesting that regular therapy sessions be a “non-negotiable” part of contracts.

“I was 19 when all of that nonsense started happening to me, and it’s just a crazy piece of the puzzle,” Grande told Maron about audiences critiquing her relationships and body image. “It’s something you work so hard to try and understand, and it will never make sense to me.

“It’s so important that these record labels, these studios, these TV studios, these big production companies make it a part of the contract when you sign on to do something that’s going to change your life in that way, on that scale,” Grande said. “You need a therapist to be seeing several times a week.”

Former Nickelodeon TV Star Says ‘Protective Measures’ Needed

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Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Grande bristled slightly when asked if she ever felt “unsafe” at the workplace in her younger years.

“I’ve sort of talked about the protective measures that I think need to be put in place,” she said. 

With therapy atop the list.

“And then some,” Grande responded. “I have dreams of a world where you’re not allowed to enter the entertainment industry without having it written in your contract, whether it’s with the record label or the production company, that there will be therapy multiple times a week and a support system. Being on a show that changes your life or releasing a song that changes your life exposes you to many forces, both love and hate, and there is no manual.”