Amanda Seyfried was a long time fan favorite to play Glinda in the Bad film. Now she’s opening up about how she didn’t get the part – and that video of her singing one of the film’s most iconic songs.
The Mama Mia star spoke to People at the Make It Cute x Babylist Holiday Event in Beverly Hills this week about a January 2023 Instagram video that stylist Elizabeth Stewart posted in which she sang “Popular” while wearing a fluffy white dress. Some people speculated that Seyfried was campaigning for the role by posting the video, even though Ariana Grande had already been announced to play the role.
Seyfried said that although the video was posted after Grande’s casting, it was filmed before she auditioned for Bad during a shoot for Lancôme.
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“I didn’t audition for it Bad not yet, but I knew it was like arriving,” Seyfried, who also starred in the film musical Les Miserablestold the magazine. “So I was just messing around, and I was like, ‘This dress is so Glinda.’ And Elizabeth said, ‘Do it.’ And then at some point she posted.
Although that video wasn’t an official audition, Seyfried said she wanted the role of the so-called good witch in the highly anticipated adaptation.
“I certainly did my best for that,” says Seyfried, who next plays the leading role in the thriller The maid opposite Sydney Sweeney, shared. “And it was a very long process. And everything happens as it is intended.”
Bad currently leads the Golden Globes nominations, with Grande scoring a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Seyfried wasn’t the only Hollywood star to audition for the role of Glinda. Dove Cameron, who starred in the Disney Channel musical franchise Descendantsconfirmed to TheWrap that she auditioned for the role, telling the outlet that it was a “long process.”
“I’m so excited for Ariana. She is truly a dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young. I think she’s going to kill it,” Cameron said in 2023. “I think the entire cast from top to bottom is phenomenal. So as a fan, I’m really excited to see it.
