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Ariana Grande took the stage at the DGA Theater on Tuesday night for an FYC event, where she engaged in a conversation with Billie Eilish.
The Oscar nominee shared her thoughts on the transition from stage to screen, jokingly referring to herself as a “protective nerd” and “gatekeeping fan girl” when it came to making changes to the beloved musical, Wicked.
“I felt like a protective nerd, like the gatekeeping fan girl in the room,” Grande quipped, as she discussed her non-negotiables for the film adaptation.
“I’m somewhat of a purist when it comes to making musical changes, especially if it has to have an emotional attachment or some sort of believable intention behind it,” she explained. The Eternal Sunshine singer said it felt like her job to protect Glinda.
“Steven Schwartz shared that there was a version of popular in the very beginning that had hip hop drums in it,” Grande told Eilish and the crowd, noting she thought it was fine to share since Schwartz already told the story.
“I was like, ‘How do I have this conversation in the most loving, respectful way?’ I was like, ‘This cannot happen.’”
The actress said she “mustered up the courage” to express that she didn’t think that fit Glinda. “How different would life be today if ‘Popular’ had trapped drums in it?” she joked. “Everybody, there’s a time and place, and it’s not with Glinda because she claps on one and three, and that’s OK.”
Grande and Eilish adorably gushed over one other for a large portion of the evening, with the younger one confessing to being a long-time fan of the night’s star.
“I love this girl so much, and I love this movie so much,” Eilish said.
Grande told the Birds of a Feather singer that the feeling was mutual. Eilish added that her official YouTube account has been her personal account since she was eleven years old.
“I was just in the car telling my mom that you can find… There’s like old interviews of you from like 2014, and Billie Eilish comments, ‘I’m team Ari,’” she said, eliciting a big laugh from the crowd and Grande herself. “That makes me so happy,” Grande responded.
