Ariana Grande reveals she was suffering from COVID on the set of Wicked

Bang Showbiz on Dec 13, 2024

Published in Women

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Ariana Grande suffered from COVID-19 on the set of 'Wicked'.

The 31-year-old pop singer stars as Glinda in the screen adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical - which was filmed from December 2022 until January 2024 - and was struck down by coronavirus disease the week she had to film her character's famous number 'Popular'.

Speaking at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation screening of the film during a Q+A session, when asked about the filming of that scene, she said: "Each contraption that was built for Glinda...why does she have so many contraptions?

"We had to reset for the contraptions and stuff but that hallway, the ending, was a last-minute piece of choreography that our brilliant choreographer Chris Scott just added last minute because we weren't even sure if we were going to do the long outro with the key changes, the modulations in it or not, until we saw the hallway at Shiz.

"Meanwhile, I was recovering from COVID, and my first and only time having COVID was the week of 'Popular'. Hilarious! So crazy, it's fine, I came with my mask and my sweatpants. The test was, by the way, almost clear. Don't worry, it was a very faint pink. Everyone was fine! And he taught me the hallway choreography, and we did that one. We couldn't cut that, we did it however many times and we added that last minute. That's why we have the key changes and everything."

'Wicked' is the unofficial prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz' and follows the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda from their days at Shiz University, and reveals how they end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good respectively.

During the number in question, Glinda has made friends with Elphaba following a party at the Ozdust Ballroom and vows to make her roommate more accepted within their social circles.

The 'Into You' hitmaker - who divorced estate agent Dalton Gomez after three years of marriage during production - has been a fan of the musical since she was a child and noted that it was "really healing" for her to be given the chance to star in it on the big screen.

She said: "Laughter is the best thing we have, and friendship. I'm just so grateful that it found its way back into my life in this massive way. It was really healing for me to be able to play this role, for a million reasons, but laughter is just the best gift that we have."