Ariana Grande has opened up about the emotional moment she found out she’d been nominated for her first Oscar – including a few unexpected people who got in touch to send their congratulations.
Last month, the Grammy-winning star found out she was in the running in the Best Supporting Actress category at the upcoming Academy Awards following her performance as Glinda in the movie musical Wicked.
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday night, Ari was asked about the moment she found out she was up for an Oscar, revealing: “It was quite surreal. I was watching the live-stream, I was in London, and as soon as they started announcing [costume designer] Paul Tazewell and [production designer] Nathan Crowley, I was just sobbing, because I love our Wicked family so much.
“And when they announced my name, I was a mess, I almost collapsed.”
She continued: “My mum called instantly, my best friends Aaron and Doug called, my team called, and then, like, my therapist, and then even my gynaecologist.”
“I was like, ‘oh my god, it’s been a while, are we good? Is everything great?’,” Ariana recalled. “But she was so sweet, she was like, ‘oh my god you did it, I’m so proud!’. I was like, ‘thank you, we’ll hug over the next, you know, breast exam or whatever it is…’.”
Reacting to her Oscar nomination last month, Ariana posted a throwback photo on Instagram of herself dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz to commemorate the full-circle moment.
“I’m humbled and deeply honoured to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny Ari, who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. I’m so proud of you, tiny,” she wrote.
Ariana is in the running against Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldaña, A Complete Unknown’s Monica Barbaro, Conclave’s Isabella Rossellini and The Brutalist’s Felicity Jones.
Win or lose, she is due to reprise her performance as Glinda in the sequel Wicked For Good, which hits cinemas in November.