Ariana Grande opted out of using her stage name in the “Wicked: For Good” credits.
The Grammy winner, born Ariana Grande-Butera, opened up about the touching reason why she did so during press for “Wicked” last year.
“Technically, it’s my little girl name,” the “Victorious” alum, 32, explained during the “Streaming Service With Justin Hill” podcast in November 2024. “Technically, it’s little Ari’s name.”
Grande, notably, is the actress’ mother Joan’s surname, while Butera is father Edward’s last name.
She went on to call her role in the adaptation as Glinda a “homecoming” for her childhood self.
“I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned,” the singer said of lessons from both her character and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.
“That was my name when I went to see the [Broadway] show when I was 10 years old,” she recalled, noting that using her real name “felt like a really lovely way of honoring that.”
The choice was something she “really wanted” and “felt really full circle.”
She agreed with host Justin Hill that it was a “love note” to herself — and to her dad, who “cried” over the “emotional” gesture.
“I pulled it up on my laptop and I recorded him secretly,” the former Nickelodeon star remembered. “I told him I wanted to show him the typography of the credits because he’s a graphic designer, he loves that stuff. It was a big surprise.”
She hasn’t spoken about doubling down on the decision for film’s second installment, out Friday.
As Grande and Erivo did last time around, the co-stars have continued making headlines for their close bond while promoting “Wicked: For Good.”
Not only did Erivo, 38, step in when a crazed fan ambushed Grande at the movie’s Singapore premiere, but the hitmaker spoke on the “Good Hang” podcast about why they like to “touch each other” so much.
The “Sam & Cat” alum explained that she “channel[s] a lot of energy through [her] hands.”
She “didn’t even notice that was a thing about” her until viral moments from the press tour.
