Ariana Grande: Going brunette is not about saying goodbye to Glinda

Ariana Grande has said her new darker hair is not about saying goodbye to her Wicked character Glinda, but rather a way of “doing something different”.

The singer and actress, 32, has recently swapped her signature, Glinda-era blonde locks with a brunette tone, sending fans wild on social media.

It comes as she resumes her role as the Good Witch of the North alongside Cynthia Erivo, who returns as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in Wicked: For Good.

On Monday night, London’s Leicester Square was transformed into the magical Land of Oz, with Wicked-inspired shades of pink and green and a sprawling yellow brick road running through the middle.

Fans came dressed in witches' hats and green makeup, while others channelled their inner Glinda in sparkly floor length gowns.

Speaking to BBC News, Erivo, who was recently nominated for two Grammys, said it felt “overwhelming” to be closing the Wicked chapter.

“It feels beautiful though,” said Grande. “This project will always be part of our lives.”

The sequel picks up where the first film left off and covers the years after Elphaba and Glinda's decision to part ways.

Elphaba is now an enemy of the state of Oz, while Glinda has become a public figure controlled by the Wizard.

The sequel will see Grande and Erivo joined once again by co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.

Bridgerton star Bailey, 37, who reprises his role of Prince Fiyero, has recently made history by becoming People's first-ever openly gay "Sexiest Man Alive".

When asked by BBC News who his sexiest man of the year is, he didn’t skip a beat.

“Jon M Chu,” he said, naming Wicked’s film director. “Because his genius, and his compassion, knows no end.”

He then laughed, adding: “And because he cast me in this film, so that is entirely sexy.”

The sequel has a romantic plotline, which could lead some to wonder whether Bailey was channelling his inner Anthony (his Bridgerton character).

“I’m sure I’m mining something that’s in my bones somewhere,” he says.

As a sidebar, I also had to ask him whether would ever do Celebrity Traitors.

“The answer is, we’ll have to find out,” he said, pausing dramatically before laughing. “I feel like I’m already exposing my game play.”

When Grande unveiled her new look on Instagram recently, many fans speculated that it was a way for her to bid farewell to her Good Witch character.

But when asked about that, she said: “No, I think it was just a way of doing something different for the second movie, and playing into the darker tones, with clothing and beauty.

“It’s fun,” she said, while Erivo smiled and nodded.

The films have been adapted from the hugely successful Broadway and West End musical, which itself was based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel.

However, the stage musical was split into two films for its big-screen adaptation, with the second due to be released on 21 November.

The two movies were shot simultaneously at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire between December 2022 and January 2024, with production interrupted mid-way through by the Hollywood actors' strike.

Wicked was the highest-grossing movie of 2024 in the UK, and scored 10 Oscar nominations - winning two for best costume and production design.

At two hours 40 minutes, the first film alone was almost as long as the entire length of the stage show.

But the second film is slightly shorter, at 2 hours and 18 minutes.

Erivo and Grande's chemistry and real-life friendship prompted several viral interview moments during the first film's promotional run last year, and the pair jointly opened the Academy Awards in March with a Wicked medley.

One challenge facing the sequel is that most of the best known songs from the musical, such as Defying Gravity, Popular and The Wizard And I, featured in the first film.

But the forthcoming follow-up will feature two brand new songs, with Chu telling BBC News that the first time Grande and Erivo heard them, “they just cried”.

“It means a lot to now, however many years later, we’re here and people get to see it on the big screen. I’m so excited.”

Wicked For Good is in cinemas on 21 November.