Between Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, and Cosette in Les Misérables, Amanda Seyfried is a movie musical icon. And if the stars had aligned, she might have ended up playing Glinda in the Wicked movie, too.
Speaking to Backstage, Amanda revealed that she “bent over backwards” auditioning for the coveted role in Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway smash hit. But ultimately lost out on the role to Ariana Grande.
When asked what’s the wildest thing she has ever done to get a role, Amanda revealed the lengths she went to in order to audition for Glinda.
“I have dreams that I’m still auditioning for Wicked,” Amanda said. “Last summer while I was playing Elizabeth [on The Dropout], on the weekends I was auditioning in person to play Glinda in the movie version of Wicked—because I wanted it that much that I was like, ‘You know what? Yeah, I have to play the last scene of ‘The Dropout’ on Tuesday. I’ll give my Sunday to you.”
She continued: “I literally bent over backwards while playing the hardest role of my life.
“But I think it also taught me how far I’ve come as a singer, which I really wanted to prove. Because ever since Les Mis, I was like, ‘I need to be better. I need to do better.’ So whatever comes next in terms of musicals, I’m finally prepared.”
Amanda as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba was never meant to be. Back in November 2021, Ariana Grande was announced as Glinda – something she had manifested 10 years ago in a tweet.
Wicked Part 1 is set to be released on November 22nd, with Part 2 following in 2025.
As for Amanda Seyfried’s next movie musical role? Mamma Mia 3 is officially in the works.