Ariana Grande feels there is plenty to celebrate throughout Oz.
Especially as the Wicked actress reflected on the relationship her character Glinda has with Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, which she noted can certainly be interpreted as a queer allegory, along with many other aspects of the film and its source material, The Wizard of Oz.
"Glinda might be a little in the closet," Ariana told Gay Times in an interview published Nov. 21, adding that "you never know" what would happen if Glinda and Elphaba were given "a little more time."
The 31-year-old also understands why many fans have shipped the characters over the years, explaining, "It is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality. It's just a deep safety within each other."
"And trust and truth and just such a safe space for one another," she continued, "which is what all relationships should be—whether it's romantic or platonic."
And Ariana is not the only one who thinks Glinda is in the closet: Kristin Chenoweth, who played the Good Witch in the original Wicked Broadway production, later commented on E! News' post and wrote, "I thought so too way back when…"
As for Elphaba, as Cynthia noted to Gay Times, "She goes wherever the wind blows."
"I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love," the Harriet actress mused. "It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it. Because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love."
And as both of them explained, the queer allegories go beyond just their characters, with Ariana pointing out that the most used word in the original L. Frank Baum books is the word "queer."
"Oz is just a celebration of uniqueness," she said. "And everyone is so beautiful in Oz, and I don't think it even is a conscious decision. Everyone is just so beautifully queer."
Ariana—who is currently dating Wicked costar Ethan Slater—previously said that part one of the film ends with showing Glinda and Elphaba having "truly fallen in love with each other."
"[They] get the chance to say, 'I see it for you and I love you,'" she told the BBC. "'And I don't agree, but I love you and I want it for you.'"