Ariana Grande will be showcasing her comedic chops in one of the funniest franchises in film.
The Oscar nominee, most recently known for her role as Glinda in “Wicked,” is joining the cast of the fourth installment of “Meet the Parents.”
“Very thrilled to be joining (meeting) the family !!!!!!!” Grande shared to her Instagram story in May.
NBC’s Joe Fryer interviewed a few of the original cast members, Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and Teri Polo, as the film is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Not only that, a fourth movie is in the works and will reportedly hit theaters next fall, according to Deadline.
“Meet the Parents,” and its two sequels, follow the hilarious antics of Stiller’s Greg Focker as he constantly tries to impress his father-in-law, Jack Byrnes (De Niro), and maintain a loving relationship with wife Pam, portrayed by Polo.
The cast could not say much about Grande’s role in the upcoming film, but Stiller said the singer is not just talented, but “so great with comedy.”
“I canβt really talk too much, I guess, at this point about the movie,” he explained. “But the character sheβs playing is β sheβs going to be really, really funny and kind of the whole engine of the new movie. So it’s exciting.”
“And, of course, this means this will be a musical. Right?” Fryer joked.
“Yeah,” De Niro chimed in.
“Bobβs an excellent singer, dancer,” Polo said.
“Half the things β the scenes that I have with her will be singing scenes,” De Niro cracked.
“Yeah,” Polo said, laughing. “Oh, wait. You canβt give that away, Bob.”
“You may have to cut that out,” she joked.
The original movie received an Oscar nomination in the category of best original song for “A Fool In Love.” Grande received a nomination this year for her work in “Wicked” in the actress in a supporting role category but lost to Zoe Saldana (“Emilia Perez”).
Tune in Friday, June 13, to TODAY for more from Fryer’s conversation with the “Meet the Parents” cast.
(“Wicked” and the fourth “Meet the Parents” film are under Universal Pictures, which is part of our parent company, NBCUniversal.)
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