From Wicked to the Pressure of Fame: Ariana Grande Opens Up to Nicole Kidman About a Turbulent Moment in the Spotlight

Ariana Grande has offered one of her most vulnerable interviews in years, speaking to Nicole Kidman about the pressures of fame, the emotional toll of early stardom and how acting in Wicked helped her reclaim her creative confidence.

In a candid conversation for Interview Magazine, the 32-year-old star reflected on burnout, rebuilding her identity and learning to separate her artistry from the expectations placed on her.

The result is a revealing portrait of a woman choosing to heal, reset and reconnect with the parts of her craft that fame once overshadowed.

From Wicked To Self-Reflection And Strength

Grande described her role as Glinda in Wicked: For Good as a pivotal chapter in her own personal growth. Immersing herself in the character, she said, helped her block out the overwhelming noise of fame.

She admitted she had been 'too scared to think about what might be on the other side', choosing to stay fully present in the work rather than ruminate on her anxieties.

Acting, she said, has become a tool for reflection — a way to process experiences that music alone couldn't hold.

Her time on set, surrounded by a different kind of creative energy, gave her what she calls 'the strength' to re-examine her relationship with performing, fame and identity.

'Carbonated' With Gratitude And Nerves

One of the most striking moments comes when Grande uses the metaphor of carbonation to describe her emotional state. She reveals, 'I feel so carbonated by gratitude ... I think that gratitude and nervousness are both very carbonating ... they're both great fuel and wonderful energy to keep us going.'

She acknowledged the current moment as 'kooky' but also strangely beautiful—an emotional mix she's learning to embrace. The metaphor captures the duality she feels: grounded in thankfulness yet fizzing with the pressure of living under relentless public scrutiny.

Rebuilding Her Music Identity

Grande explains that, over the years, her relationship with music became entangled with her identity and public image. She confides that she has spent recent years 'redoing my system,' working through trauma, separating the joy of creation from the demands of fame, and learning how to protect her love for art.

She describes a healing moment when she mentally placed past struggles 'in a box somewhere else' so she could hold onto her gifts without letting past pain define her.

The Pressure Cooker of Pop Stardom

Grande doesn't shy away from admitting the cost of early success. She describes an 'adjustment period' when her pop career exploded, 'your life changes in that very drastic way,' she says, and suddenly it feels like she's living in a fishbowl.

Nicole Kidman listens as Grande opens up about overthinking, getting hurt and sometimes not wanting to leave her home. The actor notes that celebrity life often demands a delicate balance between vulnerability and armour.

Coping Strategies: Baths, Meditation and Boundaries

Asked how she unwinds, Grande laughs and says she retreats to the bath. During one conversation, she notes: 'First I'm in the bath ... Other times I'll just be submerged and silent ... I'm a Cancer, so I love the water.' She adds that in the bath she often FaceTimes her closest friends — a moment of sanctuary in an otherwise relentless schedule.

To sustain her mental health, she also meditates in her car and uses her daily drives as moments of stillness. Grande says asking 'that pressure to leave for a moment' is sometimes crucial: 'you can just do what feels creatively authentic, and then whatever happens, happens.'

The Art of Letting Go — Without Losing Herself

Talking with Kidman, Grande reflects on the emotional challenges of being in the public eye. She admits: 'The pressure lingers sometimes ... it's an important thing to be able to ask it to leave for a moment.' Her belief, she shares, is that art gives her a home for her most authentic self — a sanctuary where she can 'just do my art and not let that ruin my relationship to it.'

Erring on the side of truth over perfection, she and Kidman agree that access to the rawest parts of ourselves — joy, pain, fear — is part of their creative gift. Grande ended the interview, moved, saying she feels supported, understood and deeply grateful.

This interview is an honest look at the mental and emotional toll of fame. Grande, already a global pop icon, is choosing to be vulnerable, to map out her healing, and to reclaim her artistry on her own terms. In sharing her process — her gratitude, her fears, her 'carbonated' energy — she reminds us that behind every public success is a human being learning to stay whole.