Ariana Grande understands why Wicked fans had concerns about her casting

Ariana Grande understands why fans of the Wicked stage musical had reservations about her being cast as Glinda in the movie adaptation.

The 7 Rings singer admitted on the Sentimental Men podcast that she understood why people might have been disappointed with her casting, particularly if they didn't know her musical theatre background and were only aware of her pop music.

When asked what scared her the most after being cast, Ariana replied, "I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong or whatever."

She later added, "Going off of Side to Side, I probably would've said the same thing. I probably would've said, 'Why the f**k? Kill me. I've waited 20 years for this. Kill me.' I would've said that - as a fan from the outside knowing of only 7 Rings, probably - I'd say, 'Well, that's bulls**t.' So, you know, I get it."

The 31-year-old began her career by appearing in the 2008 Broadway musical 13 when she was only 15 years old. Before becoming a pop star, Ariana rose to fame as an actress in the Nickelodeon TV shows Victorious and Sam & Cat.

The Thank U, Next hitmaker also noted that the role wasn't simply given to her because she's a famous singer.

"This is something I loved so much about auditioning for Wicked," she explained. "It has to be earned. Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it's not just given because they know me for one thing. So, it's fun to kind of have the challenge of reframing people's perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces."

Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, also stars Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey. It will be released in two parts, with the first premiering in cinemas on 22 November.