‘Wicked’ – Should Ariana Grande Campaign For Suporting Actress?

Awards Season is currently in full swing, and Jon M. Chu’s Wicked is expected to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) are both in the running to be nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. However, some film fans claim Grande is committing “category fraud” by running for Supporting since she has roughly the same amount of screen time as Erivo. While people love to throw the term “category fraud” around, it holds no real weight. There are no official rules regarding screen time when it comes to campaigning for Lead versus Supporting at the Oscars, and in the case of Grande, the choice to run for Supporting makes sense for multiple reasons…

It’s common knowledge that Oscar nominations don’t happen without a massive campaign. Typically, studios and their publicists put a lot into marketing a project during awards season. They throw parties, host guild screenings, and do their best to create buzz and awareness for their awards hopefuls. If a studio is backing someone or something, it makes sense that they would take the route that is most likely to secure a win. If Erivo and Grande both go for Lead Actress, it limits the amount of wins Universal Pictures could potentially secure for Wicked. First, it would split votes, giving another contender a better chance at taking home the gold. Second, the Lead Actress category is already packed this year, with many predicting Mikey Madison will win for Anora. Why risk losing to the same person twice?

Another important factor to consider when discussing the Wicked campaign is the 2004 Tony Awards. Wicked is based on the Broadway show of the same name, which received ten nominations at the Tonys 20 years ago, with Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda) both being nominated for Best Actress in a Musical. The award ultimately went to Menzel, but at the time, the press and fans were pitting the divas against each other, which led to feud rumors. Last year, the duo addressed the situation in an interview with Vulture and set the record straight about their relationship. Chenoweth admitted “it’s Elphaba’s story,” and revealed she believed “there was no way” that she would win. However, back when the show debuted, Chenoweth received stronger reviews than Menzel, which is arguably what’s happening now with Erivo and Grande.

While you won’t find many negative reviews about either Wicked star’s performance, there’s no denying Grande’s role as Glinda is making more headlines. Now, this could very well be because she’s a pop star whose name will earn more clicks, but many critics have referred to her as the stand-out of the film. While boosting Grande does not equate to diminishing Erivo, it could look that way if it came down to competition. In truth, the two women shouldn’t be compared because they’re playing drastically different characters. Grande gave an impeccable comedic performance, while Erivio delivered a beautifully dramatic one.

Now, if Universal and Grande’s team had pushed for the artist to campaign for Lead Actress, things would probably turn nasty online pretty quickly. If folks were creating a feud narrative for Menzel and Chenoweth 20 years ago, imagine how bad it would be now with Twitter and the increase in stan wars. The press tour for Wicked has been delightfully bizarre and has led to some hilarious memes, but it’s mostly been in good fun.

Erivo and Grande seem to have a genuine bond, and forcing them to compete would spoil the joy this journey has brought fans. If you’re on Twitter, you know that Grande’s fans are one of many groups who are fierce when it comes to their favorite singer. In fact, you’ll see a lot of fighting between Grande’s fans and Selena Gomez’s fans now that both stars have movies in the awards conversation. We’re not here to take sides, but when it comes to Emilia Pérez, Gomez is less of a threat to Grande than Zoe Saldaña.

Saldaña will likely be nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Jacques Audiard’s film, which also happens to be a musical. To bring it all full circle, the Marvel star is yet another actor who is being accused of “category fraud” by folks on the Internet. While Saldaña does have more screen time than Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the titular Emilia Pérez, the movie is undoubtedly about Gascón’s character. If Gascón is nominated for Lead Actress, she will make history as the first transwoman to be recognized in that category. Considering we’re living in a time when trans people are being used as pawns in a culture war that threatens their very existence, Netflix is making the smarter choice by campaigning her as the movie’s lead. Is it about optics? Probably, but that’s what awards season has always been about.

Saldaña vs. Grande could have easily happened in the Lead Actress category, but it would have been a less interesting race. Whether or not you believe in “category fraud,” Ariana Grande has a good chance of winning an Oscar this year for Best Supporting Actress, and if it happens, it would be well-deserved.

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