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Scarlett Spears as young Glinda in Wicked: For Good Credit: courtesy Universal Pictures<\/p>\nScarlett Spears as young Glinda in Wicked: For Good Credit: courtesy Universal Pictures<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a hard-working girl,\u201d Spears tells Orlando Weekly during a recent interview. \u201cI love how she cooks food and gives it out to people. She\u2019s not just dancing around and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears\u2019 choice of princess mirrors the kind of talent she\u2019s bringing to the film and TV industry herself. At just 8 years old, she\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
While Spears values substance over sparkle, she\u2019s not shy about enjoying a little \u2014 or a lot \u2014 of glitter. And her latest role may be the glitteriest one yet.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The audition for Young Glinda wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a surprise,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were giving me random things to do to see if I could follow instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, Spears, who is in the third grade and homeschooled, had seen the first Wicked. One of her favorite scenes is when Grande sings \u201cPopular.\u201d She had also seen the original 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. At first, she didn\u2019t understand why the movie started in black and white.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked my mom, and she said, \u2018You\u2019ll see, just wait,\u2019\u201d Spears says. \u201cThen I got to see the colors. It was so beautiful. I wish I could go there myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears was with her mother and grandmother when her agent told her she had booked the role of Young Glinda. Emotions quickly took over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were so happy and excited that I started crying,\u201d she says. \u201cI cried a lot!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her sensitive nature didn\u2019t surprise her grandmother, Nina Reyes, who says Spears was raised to be humble and thankful for everything that comes her way \u2014 big or small.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a very sweet child,\u201d Reyes says. \u201cWhat she\u2019s accomplished is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Spears didn\u2019t work directly with Grande on set, she did get to meet her and pose for photos inside Glinda\u2019s iconic floating pink bubble. On Spears\u2019 Instagram page, which is run by her mother, there is a photo of Spears and Grande \u2014 both wearing fancy tiaras \u2014 sharing a big hug.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cthank u, next\u201d and \u201c7 Rings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t really think I was going to meet her, [but] then I saw this pink, poofy dress \u2026 and she popped out!\u201d Spears says. \u201cShe is so nice and so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of Spears\u2019 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\u2019s charming character. The role wasn\u2019t hard to inhabit, she says, because she shares many traits with Glinda.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe kind of have the same personality,\u201d Spears says. \u201cWe\u2019re both funny and bubbly, and we both love everything pink!\u201d<\/p>\n
When audiences see Wicked: For Good, Spears hopes they connect with her character and see how Glinda\u2019s journey to becoming The Good Witch of the North began.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny and happy, and you can see what Glinda\u2019s childhood was like,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can see what makes her who she is. It\u2019s just so magical.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Wicked: For Good premieres in theaters nationwide on Friday, Nov. 21.)<\/p>\n
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