Ariana Grande Gets Candid About Her Experiences As A Child Actor

Ariana Grande has opened up about the highs and lows of growing up as a child actor.

Those of us who only knew Ariana for her Grammy-winning pop career before she was cast in Wicked might have been surprised by her acting chops, but the Oscar nominee’s career did actually begin in acting.

During her teen years, Ariana performed on Broadway in the musical 13, before landing a role playing Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Victorious (her character also appeared in the spin-off Sam & Cat).

The No Tears Left To Cry singer recently sat down with BBC World Service, where she was asked about becoming “such a fully-formed person as a result of a child acting experience”.

“Being in this industry at all – as a child, as an adult, as anything – is a balance of ‘survive’ and ‘thrive’,” Ariana began.

“You know, there are so many beautiful things that come with being an actor and a performer, and I remember just falling in love with my character, and that being such a gift to my life.

“I think playing Cat Valentine was like my very first experience getting absolutely lost in a character, I just loved it so much.”

And while she says there were many “beautiful things” that came from her Nickelodeon days, Ariana also acknowledged that “being in this industry, you need that support”.

“Every single thing about it is quite strange and quite alien, you know?” she explained. “Even just the experience of acting in and of itself, you are not yourself, and it’s a very strange thing. 

“Just working like an adult as a child is, you know, an adjustment as well. Doing school in a little tiny room, having to take certain exams to graduate early so you can work hours sooner, these are all choices that we made. But it definitely should be, I think, a more protected place, this industry – for kids, for adults, for anyone.”

She added: “I just worry about those who don’t have that support, and it’s something that I hope we can be a positive part of that change together.”

The safeguarding of child actors was a key theme of the 2024 documentary Quiet On Set, which featured contributions from several Nickelodeon actors

Speaking on the podcast Podcrushed last year in the wake of the documentary’s release, Ariana said: “Obviously my relationship to [that time] has been – and is currently – changing. I’ve been reprocessing a lot of what the experience was like.”

“I think that the environment needs to be made safer if kids are going to be acting,” she added, calling for on-set therapists and permission for young performers’ parents to be on set with them if they so wish.

Last week, it was revealed that Ariana is in the running for her first Oscar off the back of her performance in Wicked.

Reacting to the news, she posted a throwback photo of herself dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz, and dedicated her win to “tiny Ari”.