It is easy to let a voice as massive as Ariana Grande’s overshadow everything else. When you are capable of shattering streaming records with the turn of a phrase, the world naturally wants to box you in strictly as a pop star.
But if you look closely at her career choreography, Ariana has always been a thespian at heart.
She hits this mid-30s milestone fresh off an era of absolute cinematic vindication. Following the staggering, combined billion-dollar success of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked (2024) and last winter’s Wicked: For Good (2025), Hollywood has finally had to accept what Broadway insiders knew back in 2008: Ariana possesses elite, transformative acting chops. To honor her special day, we are looking past the microphone and ranking the 5 definitive acting roles that showcase her brilliant comedic timing, emotional range, and theatrical roots.
5. Chanel #2 in Scream Queens (2015)
When Ryan Murphy launched his campy, satirical horror-comedy series, he wisely cast Ariana as Sonya Herfmann (better known as Chanel #2). Though her character met a hilariously gruesome end early in the first season, Ariana left an indelible mark on the show. Her death scene—where she aggressively texts her killer via iPhone while he is actively attacking her in her bedroom—remains one of the most brilliant, viral pieces of Gen-Z media satire ever put on television. It proved she had a deep understanding of deadpan dark comedy.
4. Penny Pingleton in Hairspray Live! (2016)
Stepping onto a live television broadcast to pull off a full-scale Broadway musical is a high-wire act that terrifies seasoned veterans. Playing the quirky, sheltered, and intensely loyal Penny Pingleton, Ariana completely disappeared into the character. Ditching her glamorous pop persona for pigtails and dorky, wide-eyed innocence, she delivered flawless harmonies and energetic choreography, proving her technical theatrical training was completely unmatched.
3. Riley Bina in Don’t Look Up (2021)
In Adam McKay’s star-studded, Oscar-nominated climate change satire, Ariana was handed a highly unique challenge: playing a hyper-exaggerated version of a global pop star. As Riley Bina, she brilliantly skewered the vapid nature of modern media culture, effortlessly holding her own in scenes opposite acting heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. The true genius of the performance was the track “Just Look Up”—a gorgeous ballad that starts as a soaring romantic song before hilariously shifting into literal, panicked instructions for humanity to face an impending comet.
2. Cat Valentine in Victorious and Sam & Cat (2010–2014)
Long before she was selling out stadiums, a generation of kids knew her simply as the red-headed, bubbly, and easily startled Cat Valentine. Spanning two hit Nickelodeon series and nearly a hundred episodes, Ariana’s performance was a masterclass in physical comedy for children’s television. She committed entirely to the high-pitched voice, the erratic mood swings, and the cartoonish slapstick, creating an iconic, lovable character that served as the definitive launchpad for her global fame.
1. Glinda Upland in Wicked and Wicked: For Good (2024–2025)
There was simply never another choice for the number-one spot. When it was initially announced that Ariana had landed the coveted role of Glinda the Good Witch in Universal’s massive big-screen adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon, theater purists were highly skeptical.
Over the course of two spectacular films, Ariana completely silenced the world. Working under director Jon M. Chu and acting alongside Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, she delivered a performance of breathtaking complexity. Her Glinda wasn’t just a shallow, popular blonde; she was a deeply layered human being wrestling with ambition, intense moral conflict, and profound grief.
From the comedic brilliance of the “Popular” sequence to the devastating, mature emotional gravity of Wicked: For Good’s final act, her performance earned her glowing reviews from the toughest critics on Earth, multiple major award nominations, and a permanent place in cinematic musical history. She didn’t just play Glinda—she defined her for a brand new generation.
Thirty-three years of breaking boundaries, honoring her theater roots, and proving that she is a once-in-a-generation performer whether she is holding a microphone or walking through the Land of Oz. Happy Birthday, Ariana!
