Last year saw the rise of a cultural phenomenon called Barbenheimer: a mashed up name of two blockbuster movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer releasing together. While the former film starred Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the latter featured Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt. This year saw a similar instance of two completely different and much-anticipated movies, namely Wicked and Gladiator 2, releasing on the same day in the US.
While it didn’t become a phenomena as massive and widely talked about as Barbenheimer was, the actors of the movie came up with the mashed name Glicked. Ariana Grande, who starred in Wicked, recently spoke to Paul Mescal, who featured in Gladiator 2, about how both their films were “strangely similar.” Here’s what the 31-year-old pop star divulged.
Ariana Grande On Wicked And Gladiator 2 Being ‘Strangely Similar’
During the Actors on Actors conversation with Mescal, Grande stated that she felt both their movies were “strangely similar.” The former asked, “Do you?” The singer then said that it might sound “absolutely absurd” but she really does feel like they are similar. “Because there are strong themes of evil versus good and dictatorship,” the Positions hitmaker further explained.
Mescal agreed with the above sentiment and Grande felt that because of the similar themes, Wicked and Gladiator 2 were “thematically intertwined.” The Irishman then chimed in and stated, “And also, not to sell the whole Glicked thing, but in terms of a double feature: thematically similar, but then also totally different meals.” Grande couldn’t agree more with Mescal.
“We’re really selling each other’s films quite well,” she mused. He replied that he thinks so too. The talented duo also mentioned the Barbenheimer phenomenon that brought the fans and the industry together in 2023. That wasn’t all, they also talked about a few other similarities of their films.
Will There Be Fight Scenes In Wicked: Part 2? Ariana Grande Opens Up
Further in the chat, Grande mentioned that both Wicked and Gladiator 2 “have these massive sets, these massive fight scenes or dance numbers.” She quickly pointed out that she didn’t mean fight scenes in Wicked. The actress cheekily added, “Maybe next one.” That certainly intrigued Mescal.
“Oh, really?” he asked. Grande responded, “Maybe, we’ll see.” That was all she gave away about what the sequel could potentially contain. The former Disney star steered the conversation away to the stunt coordinating as well as the choreography rehearsals in Gladiator, gushing about Mescal’s work.
Wicked Part 2: What To Expect?
For the unversed, Wicked released in the United States on November 22, 2024, along with Gladiator 2. The sequel, known as Wicked Part Two, is slated for a November 21, 2025 release, as of now. Its initial release date was supposed to be in December, but the movie was preponed. Apart from Grande, it stars Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey.
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