Ethan Slater Praises Ariana Grande for Her Role in Wicked

Ethan Slater commended his girlfriend Ariana Grande for her role in Wicked. He described her performance with Cynthia Erivo as "beautiful and nuanced and unbelievable."

According to Slater, Ariana Grande is cleverly funny. The SpongeBob SquarePants stage actor, who started dating the singer after meeting on the *Wicked* set, emphasized her humor's contribution to their movie.

"She’s so funny," Ethan stated on The Jennifer Hudson Show episode airing November 4. "She’s a comedy genius. I mean, she’s amazing in this film."

While Ariana shines, she isn’t the only standout in the cast. Ethan highlighted the whole ensemble’s exceptional talent.

"Everyone’s amazing in this film," he noted. "Cynthia and Ari bring depth to these roles. The women who have played these roles on stage are incredible. But when you’re doing a film, you’re so close."

Ethan further elaborated to Jennifer Hudson about the unique experience of watching Ariana and Cynthia transition from stage to screen. He pointed out the differences between performing on stage and filming.

"You know, the difference between when you’re doing a role onstage and on film is notable," he explained. "They were so beautiful and nuanced and unbelievable."

"Ari’s hilarious," he added enthusiastically. "I can’t wait for people to see the takes that didn’t make it in."

Although Ethan, who shares a 2-year-old son with ex-wife Lilly Jay, has remained private since revealing his relationship with Ariana in July 2023, he has publicly praised her abilities before.

"I’m just really, really proud of Ari and the work she’s done on this," he shared with GQ in an October profile. "She’s poured herself into it. I’m really excited for the world to see what she has accomplished."