Thank u, next.
Fresh off her reported divorce from Dalton Gomez, Ariana Grande is apparently moving on with a new alleged beau: none other than her costar in the Wicked movies, actor Ethan Slater.
A TMZ story reported that “sources with direct knowledge tell us [they] started dating several months ago during production of the flick.” Grande is playing Galinda in the film, whereas Slater is set to play Boq.
In the story of Wicked, Boq has a crush on Galinda but is turned down by the popular girl. Galinda goes on to date Fiyero (played by out gay actor Jonathan Bailey in the movie). In turn, she sets Boq up to date Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who is the sister of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
Earlier this week, director Jon M. Chu shared Wicked updates with fans, reiterating that the release dates of the movies weren’t going to be affected by the ongoing Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike in Hollywood.
Though fans were excited about the Wicked movies not being postponed yet again, it does come as shocking news that costars Grande and Slater are now dating. Given the characters they’re playing in the movie adaptation, it is also somewhat ironic for Boq to be dating Galinda after all.
The Wicked movies are the gifts that keep on giving. We can’t wait!
Wicked opens November 27, 2024 in theaters.