8-year-old actress and Orlando native Scarlett Spears shines bright in 'Wicked: For Good'

Scarlett Spears as young Glinda in Wicked: For Good Credit: courtesy Universal Pictures

While many little girls might choose their favorite Disney princess based on magical powers or glittering gowns, child actress and Orlando native Scarlett Spears has a different reason for loving Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.

“She’s a hard-working girl,” Spears tells Orlando Weekly during a recent interview. “I love how she cooks food and gives it out to people. She’s not just dancing around and stuff.”

Spears’ choice of princess mirrors the kind of talent she’s bringing to the film and TV industry herself. At just 8 years old, she’s already putting in serious work. Since 2022, she has played the daughter of a mob boss on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Earlier this year, she starred as the kid version of Dora the Explorer in the Paramount+ live-action movie Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado.

While Spears values substance over sparkle, she’s not shy about enjoying a little — or a lot — of glitter. And her latest role may be the glitteriest one yet.

On Nov. 21, Spears will make her big-screen debut in the highly anticipated sequel Wicked: For Good. In the film, she plays the young version of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Adult Glinda is played by Ariana Grande, who earned an Academy Award nomination for the same role in the first movie.

The audition for Young Glinda wasn’t a typical one, Spears says. She went in without knowing which movie she was auditioning for. While Hollywood studios often keep blockbuster projects under wraps, it was a new experience for her.

“It was a surprise,” she says. “They were giving me random things to do to see if I could follow instructions.”

Luckily, Spears, who is in the third grade and homeschooled, had seen the first Wicked. One of her favorite scenes is when Grande sings “Popular.” She had also seen the original 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. At first, she didn’t understand why the movie started in black and white.

“I asked my mom, and she said, ‘You’ll see, just wait,’” Spears says. “Then I got to see the colors. It was so beautiful. I wish I could go there myself.”

Spears was with her mother and grandmother when her agent told her she had booked the role of Young Glinda. Emotions quickly took over.

“We were so happy and excited that I started crying,” she says. “I cried a lot!”

Her sensitive nature didn’t surprise her grandmother, Nina Reyes, who says Spears was raised to be humble and thankful for everything that comes her way — big or small.

“She’s a very sweet child,” Reyes says. “What she’s accomplished is amazing.”

Although Spears didn’t work directly with Grande on set, she did get to meet her and pose for photos inside Glinda’s iconic floating pink bubble. On Spears’ Instagram page, which is run by her mother, there is a photo of Spears and Grande — both wearing fancy tiaras — sharing a big hug.

It was a memorable moment for Spears. She had always been a big fan of Grande, from her role on the Nickelodeon sitcom Sam & Cat to listening to some of her favorite Grande songs like “thank u, next” and “7 Rings.”

“I didn’t really think I was going to meet her, [but] then I saw this pink, poofy dress … and she popped out!” Spears says. “She is so nice and so beautiful.”

Some of Spears’ favorite moments on set included working with director Jon Chu and making friends with the other kids in the movie. She also loved wearing her pink dress and blonde wig. Carrying a wand helped her step fully into Glinda’s charming character. The role wasn’t hard to inhabit, she says, because she shares many traits with Glinda.

“We kind of have the same personality,” Spears says. “We’re both funny and bubbly, and we both love everything pink!”

When audiences see Wicked: For Good, Spears hopes they connect with her character and see how Glinda’s journey to becoming The Good Witch of the North began.

“It’s funny and happy, and you can see what Glinda’s childhood was like,” she says. “You can see what makes her who she is. It’s just so magical.”

(Wicked: For Good premieres in theaters nationwide on Friday, Nov. 21.)

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8-year-old actress and Orlando native Scarlett Spears shines bright in ‘Wicked: For Good’

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