Ariana Grande on going brunette as she says goodbye to Glinda

Ariana Grande says her new dark hair isn’t about saying goodbye to her Wicked character Glinda, but rather a way to “do something different.”

The 32-year-old singer and actress recently swapped her signature Glinda-era blonde locks for a brunette shade, sending fans into a frenzy on social media.

It comes as she continues her role as the Good Witch of the North alongside Cynthia Erivo, who returns as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked: For Good.

On Monday night, London’s Leicester Square was transformed into the magical Land of Oz, with Wicked-inspired shades of pink and green and a wide yellow brick road running through its centre.

Fans arrived in witch hats and green makeup, while others channeled their inner Glinda in sparkly floor-length dresses.

Erivo, who was recently nominated for two Grammys, told BBC News it was an “overwhelming” feeling to close the Wicked episode.

“It still feels so good,” Grande said. “This project will always be a part of our lives.”

The sequel picks up where the first film left off and covers the years after Elphaba and Glinda’s decision to part ways.

Elphaba is now an enemy of the state of Oz, while Glinda has become a public figure controlled by the Wizard.

In the sequel, Grande and Erivo will be joined by Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum as the Magician.

Bridgerton star Bailey, 37, who reprises his role as Prince Fiyero, recently made history by becoming People’s first openly gay “Sexiest Man Alive.”

He didn’t hesitate when asked by BBC News who the sexiest man of the year was.

“Jon M Chu,” he said, naming the film director of Wicked. “Because there is no end to his genius and compassion.”

She then laughed and added: “And since he cast me in this movie, it’s totally sexy.”

The sequel has a romantic plot, which might lead some to wonder if Bailey is channeling his inner Anthony (his Bridgerton character).

“I’m sure I removed something that was somewhere inside my bones,” he says.

As a sidebar, I also had to ask him if Famous Traitors would ever be made.

“The answer is, we’ll have to find out,” he said, pausing dramatically before laughing. “I feel like I’m already revealing my style of play.”

When Grande recently revealed her new look on Instagram, many fans thought it was a way for her to say goodbye to her character as the Good Witch.

But when asked about it, she said: “No, I think it was just a way of doing something different for the second movie, playing with darker tones with clothing and beauty.

“Fun,” Erivo said as she smiled and nodded.

The films are based on the hugely successful Broadway and West End musical based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.

However, the stage musical was split into two films to be adapted for the big screen, with the second set to be released on November 21.

The two films were shot simultaneously at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire between December 2022 and January 2024, with production interrupted due to a Hollywood actors’ strike.

Bad It became the highest-grossing film of 2024 in the UKIt received 10 Oscar nominations, winning two awards for best costume and production design.

At two hours and 40 minutes, the first film was almost as long as the entire stage show.

However, the second movie is a little shorter, lasting 2 hours and 18 minutes.

Erivo and Grande’s chemistry and real-life friendship led to many viral interview moments during the first film’s promotional run last year, and the duo jointly opened the Academy Awards in March with a Wicked medley.

One of the challenges facing the sequel is that many of the musical’s best-known songs, such as Defying Gravity, Popular and The Wizard And I, were featured in the first film.

However, the upcoming follow-up will feature two new songs, and Chu told BBC News that Grande and Erivo “just cried” when they first heard these songs.

“This means a lot right now, but here we are years later and people are seeing this on the big screen. I’m so excited.”

Wicked For Good is in theaters on November 21.