"I feel like I came home to myself": Ariana Grande shares why she decided to go with her full name in 'Wicked' credits

Ariana used her full name, Ariana Grande-Butera, for her credits in both Wicked films: Wicked and Wicked: For Good. She played the role of "Galinda 'Glinda' Upland," who later becomes Glinda the Good. Last year, during an interview with Hit Network, she explained the reason behind why she decided to use her full name in the Wicked film credits.

Ariana explained:

"Technically, it's my little-girl name. It's technically little Ari's name... I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me. I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba. That was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old, and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that. It felt really full-circle, and it just felt like something I wanted to do."

Ariana's full name is a combination of her mother's and her father's last names. The singer took her mother's last name, Grande, and combined it with her father's last name, Butera. Her parents divorced when she was a child.

Is Ariana Grande using her full name for her future works?

According to PEOPLE, Ariana does not seem like she is going to be using her full name for her upcoming works. The 32-year-old singer/actress mentioned how special Wicked and Wicked: For Good are to her. She called it a "homecoming" and decided to make a special change to her name in the credits.

However, Universal shared a press release for her upcoming film Focker-In-Law, which will be released next year in November. In the cast list, her name is listed as "Ariana Grande" and not her full name. She will be playing the role of Olivia Jones next to Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, and more.

In addition to Focker-In-Law, Grande was chosen to appear in Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story series next year. In a clip he shared on Instagram, the Focus singer's name appeared for next year's installment as "Ariana Grande."

Another instance where she was simply named "Ariana Grande" in the script was in Jon M. Chu's animated Dr. Seuss movie titled Oh, the Places You’ll Go! The film is scheduled to be released three years from now.

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Ariana's full name in the Wicked film credits holds a special meaning for her, as she revealed during an interview with Hit Network. However, she is only using her full name for the Wicked films and not for the works following it.

Also read: What pact did Cynthia Erivo make with Ariana Grande? Actress opens up about friendship with 'Wicked' co-star in new memoir

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