Ariana Grande’s Brother Frankie Jokes About Seeing Gladiator II at the Movies
Frankie Grande is embracing sister Ariana Grande’s Wicked character, Glinda.
“So what movie are you seeing today?” a movie theater employee asked Frankie, 41, in a video posted to social media on Saturday, November 23. The camera panned to Frankie, who rocked a Glinda-inspired pink sequined suit.
While eating from a box of Wicked-themed popcorn, Frankie hesitated before replying. “Gladiator II,” he finally said.
“Denzel [Washington] really blew me away 😂😂,” he captioned the upload. (Washington, 69, stars in Gladiator II alongside Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.)
One day before Frankie’s TikTok, both Wicked and Gladiator II hit theaters. Before Wicked’s release, Frankie took to Instagram to gush over his sister while sharing photos from the Los Angeles premiere of the movie.
“From the moment I came home from college and told you about this new musical called Wicked, after seeing it in previews, to us running backstage with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel when you were 10 years old at the Gershwin theater to you telling me you were being cast as Glinda and we started sobbing on the bathroom floor to this unbelievable premiere moment in Los Angeles,” he wrote earlier this month.
“I am so happy, excited, and overjoyed to say that you are Glinda the good,” he continued. “I am so proud of you and I love you so much. This journey has been beautiful and long and I am so thrilled that very soon the entire world will get to see this finished masterpiece for the ages. 🥹.”
Based on the beloved Broadway show, Wicked — which premieres in two parts — centers around Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana). The pair, who meet at Shiz University, transition from rivals to unlikely friends.
The film also stars Ethan Slater as Boq, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Marissa Bode as Nessarose and Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond.
While reflecting on the auditioning process, Ariana, 31, candidly called it a “challenge” during an appearance on a November episode of the “Sentimental Man” podcast.
“It has to be earned. Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it’s not just given because they know for one thing,” she said at the time. “So, it’s fun to kind of have the challenge of reframing people’s perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces.”
Wicked: Part One is in theaters now while Wicked: Part Two will premiere on November 21, 2025.
