Ariana Grande says she had to draw careful boundaries between her own life and Glinda the Good Witch while filming "Wicked," revealing that she built a system of "emotional triggers" for her character rather than relying on personal experiences that hit "too close" to home.

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ multi-talented artist revealed details about her method in a chat with Adam Sandler for Variety's Actors on Actorsseries. In the interview, the pair covered various topics ranging from physical injuries during shooting to the intricate feelings in Jon M. Chu's two-part movie ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌adaptation.

Grande, 32, appears in "Wicked" (2024) and its sequel, "Wicked: For Good" (2025).

The former Nickelodeon star told Sandler that crying on command isn't as effortless as people assume. "I'm a crier in life, but it's not as easy when you're performing. It's not a party trick," she said.

To protect herself from dipping into painful memories, she said she "invented triggers for Glinda so that I didn't have to touch on my own," explaining that some themes in the film felt strikingly close to her personal history.

"I had to design her pain so I didn't need to reference my own," she added.

Those choices, she said, allowed her to be fully present for the role while maintaining emotional distance when needed.

Costumes, Scratches and On-Set Bruises

Their conversation shifted to the physical challenges of the shoot after Sandler asked about the elaborate gowns. Grande said she spent much of the sequel wearing a lavender dress nicknamed "Bubble Two."

She described lunch breaks that required creative maneuvering, including perching "on a little apple box" slid under her hoop skirt.

The gown's structure gave her more flexibility than expected, but still left her with "little scratches." Grande laughed it off, "Anything for the craft. I'm fond of coming home with an unexplained bruise or scratch."

Sandler sympathized, sharing how a fight scene with Ben Stiller on "The Meyerowitz Stories" left him with a massive bruise for weeks. "I think he wanted to kick my a*s," he joked, saying Stiller brought surprising intensity to the moment.

Grande admitted she also walked away from working with Stiller with a bruise, "totally my fault," she said, adding that adrenaline keeps actors going long after they've been knocked around on set.

Grande and Sandler also reflected on the emotional undercurrents of "Wicked." Sandler highlighted the heartbreaking reveal of the Tin Man, recalling the film's sound design capturing "pings and pangs" as he confronted what he'd become.

Grande said those moments underscore how the story reframes classic villains. It's "so important to see these humanizing moments," she said, because the film shows that "perpetrators of evilness were once victims themselves."

When Sandler jokingly asked whether animals in Oz should speak more, Grande replied, "I think they are talking. I think we're not listening enough," adding that anyone paying close attention will notice the clues.

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Ariana Grande, Adam Sandler