A timeline of Ariana Grande's adorable (& powerful!) 'Wicked' obsession

Ariana Grande, the supreme 'Wicked' stan!

The long-anticipated Wicked movies are finally upon us, and some fans aren't exactly aware of how much work — for a long period of time — Ariana Grande has done to be a part of this cinematic adaptation of the hit Broadway musical.

It's clear that director Jon M. Chu understood the assignment as he assembled such a truly legendary cast for the Wicked movies. In addition to Grande's performance as Glinda (who, at first, goes by Galinda), the film also includes Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba Thropp), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard), Ethan Slater (Boq), Marissa Bode (Nessarose Thropp), Bowen Yang (Pfannee), Bronwyn James (ShenShen), and Peter Dinklage (Doctor Dillamond), among others.

Keep scrolling to discover (or revisit!) this timeline of Ariana Grande's adorable and intense pursuit of joining the Wicked movies — and make sure to see the film when it opens Friday, November 22 in theaters.

2003 — Ariana Grande meets Kristin Chenoweth during the original 'Wicked' Broadway production.

Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Galinda (a.k.a. Glinda) in the Wicked musical on Broadway, told People that she met Ariana Grande in 2003, backstage, while the original cast was performing on the show.

Chenoweth reportedly gave Grande "a little magical body wash" and "a little wand," adding: "I think it was magical because look at where we are now!"

Grande also recalled the story and reflected on how she immediately loved Wicked and was treated well by all the "kind" actors in the Wicked ensemble.

December 2011 — Ariana Grande attends the 'Wicked' musical premiere in Los Angeles.

On December 1, 2011, Grande attended the opening night of a new Wicked production in Los Angeles playing at the Pantages Theatre.

Y'all… Ariana Grande was just 18 years old in this picture! Thank goodness that this moment was captured by photographers at the event.

April 2013 — Ariana Grande is featured on MIKA's 'Popular Song,' which samples the 'Wicked' show tune.

The kids these days just don't know about MIKA, and we really need to rectify that!

Grande, who was still an up-and-coming artist in 2013, collaborated with MIKA on "Popular Song" — which sampled Galinda's Wicked musical number "Popular." It's iconic, it's catchy, and it's everything we need from pop music.

October 2018 — Ariana Grande sings 'The Wizard and I' on the musical's 15th anniversary special.

A television special titled A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway aired on October 29, 2018 on NBC. The event had a star-studded lineup of guests that included Adam Lambert, Pentatonix, and Ariana Grande… obviously!

But Grande didn't just show up. The mic was ON. The voice was READY. The dress was GREEN. And, perhaps most importantly, she developed an iconic performance of "The Wizard and I." Even though that's an Elphaba song from the Wicked musical, it was undeniable that she was a superfan of this Broadway production and its show tunes.

February 2019 — Ariana Grande reveals that 'Wicked' is her dream project.

"I don't want to talk about it because I'm gonna cry," Grande said in an interview on the Zach Sang Show from as far back as February 9, 2019. "I would do anything to play Elphie. I don't really have many dream roles. I already got to play Penny [Pingleton in Hairspray], cross that one off the list. Elphaba and Audrey in Little Shop… those are my two dream roles."

"So, yeah, I would do anything," the singer went on. "I would stand outside the producers' studio with coffee every morning, waiting for them to acknowledge me and begging to sing 'Defying Gravity' for them."

November 2021 — Ariana Grande auditions for the 'Wicked' movies.

The official "Wicked — Passion Project" video shared on the film's official YouTube channel shows glimpses of Grande auditioning for the role of Glinda, as well as her literal reaction to getting a Zoom call from Chu saying that she had been cast for the role. Ugh, just love to see it!

After so many years of actively pursuing this dream, Ariana Grande's performance as Glinda in Wicked will remain in the franchise's cinematic canon for decades to come.