Yes, Amanda Seyfried auditioned for Wicked — but that viral video isn’t her audition tape.
The Oscar nominee, 39, dispelled social media chatter that a video of her performing “Popular” from the hit musical was her attempt to bag the role of Glinda in director Jon M. Chu’s recent movie adaptation. Instead, she was simply having fun behind the scenes at a photo shoot.
“I think it was during COVID. I was doing a Lancôme shoot in Long Island City. Elizabeth Stewart [was] my stylist,” Seyfried explained to People in an interview published on Saturday, December 14, referring to a clip posted by the stylist via Instagram nearly two years ago.
In the video, Seyfried can be seen wearing a striking silver princess gown while singing one of Glinda’s signature tunes.
(@elizabethstewart1)“I was not auditioning for Wicked yet, but I knew it was, like, coming up. So I was just f—ing around really, and I was like, ‘This dress is so Glinda.’ And Elizabeth was like, ‘Do it.’ And then she posted at some point.” (Stewart posted the video in January 2023 to celebrate Seyfried’s Golden Globe nomination for her role as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout.)
Since Wicked’s release last month, fans on social media have resurfaced the video and referred to it as Seyfried’s audition tape. That’s not the case, though Seyfried did audition for the part of Glinda, ultimately played by pop star Ariana Grande.
“I went hard for that, for sure,” she said of auditioning to play Glinda. “And it was a very long process. And everything happens the way it’s meant to.”
Amid the confusion about the video, Seyfried now believes “maybe it would be better if it hadn’t been posted.”
Despite not landing the role of Glinda, Seyfried saw Wicked in theaters and thought it was “fantastic.”
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“It’s an extravaganza, which is what she [Grande] does really well. And [my kids] have been playing the soundtrack nonstop. And everything is as it’s meant to be, for sure,” the Emmy winner added.
Other stars who auditioned for the role include Reneé Rapp and Dove Cameron.
“I did [audition for it]. Ariana’s gonna be f—ing amazing,” Rapp said during a November 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
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Meanwhile, Cameron told TheWrap in April 2023, “I definitely went out for it.”
“I know that for everybody who did go out for it, it was a very long process. It was one of the longer processes I’ve been a part of,” she added.
