Grande and Erivo play Galinda and Elphaba in the movie musical, out Nov. 27

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are “Popular” presenters at the Oscars 2024!

The Wicked costars made an appearance at the Academy Awards together on Sunday to present the statuettes for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

Dressed in her character Elphaba’s signature green, Erivo, 37, began, “A great movie song can set the mood, reveal something about a character and help us tell a story.”

“And a great film score can leave a handprint on our hearts forever,” said Grande, 30, complementing her costar in Galinda-appropriate pink. “It can ignite wonder and astonishment, make us feel sadness and longing, and can even transport us to new worlds.”

“Or somewhere over the rainbow, where the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true,” added Erivo, quoting the lyrics of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, made famous by original Dorothy Gale actress Judy Garland.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the latest adaptation of Wicked will see Grande as Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch and Erivo as Elphaba/the Wicked Witch of the West.

The actresses were tapped to play the iconic iterations of their Wizard of Oz characters back in November 2021, and the first part of two films is set for release Nov. 27, 2024. The second act will come the following year, on Nov. 26, 2025.From L: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Galinda in Wicked (2024

The Eternal Sunshine singer has expressed her passion for the project, saying on the Zach Sang Show that she had “never wanted something as badly.”

“Since I was 20, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know when this is happening, but when it’s happening, may I please at least just audition?’ ” she said.

Grande added, “That’s all I wanted, was an audition. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

A glimpse into the newest interpretation of Oz premiered during the 2024 Super Bowl last month, giving viewers a look at the first footage of Grande and Erivo as Galinda and Elphaba.

Starring alongside them are Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar and Ethan Slater as Boq.

Meanwhile, other presenters at the 2024 Oscars include Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlize Theron.

The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, are currently airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Source: https://people.com