In Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked, Ariana explained that when she heard that Wicked auditions were going to be happening, she attended voice and acting lessons to prepare. 

“It’s so different, vocally, from what I usually sing,” she added. 

Speaking about Ariana’s audition, director Jon M. Chu told the New York Times, “I was worried about the big facade of Ariana Grande, the performer. But when she came in with no makeup, all of that disappeared. She came in against big, big actors, and she was the most interesting person in the room.”