Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) must confront her own complicity in "Wicked: For Good."
In the "Wicked" sequel, Ariana Grande has standout musical moments such as "Thank Goodness" and "The Girl in the Bubble."

Spoiler alert! We're discussing minor plot details about “The Wizard of Oz” spinoff musical “Wicked: For Good” (in theaters now).

It’s good to see her, isn’t it?

This past weekend, Ariana Grande floated back to theaters as Glinda in the blockbuster “Wicked: For Good,” delivering a beautiful and richly nuanced performance that surpasses even her Oscar-nominated turn in last year’s “Wicked.”

For more than a decade, we’ve known the versatile pop star as a Grammy-winning vocal powerhouse and genuine comedic force, having showcased her astute comic timing on Nickelodeon sitcoms and NBC's “Saturday Night Live,” as well as in the first part of “Wicked.”

But “Wicked: For Good” proves that Grande, 32, is also a stunning dramatic actress, with numerous scenes that would feel right at home in any Oscar reel. (That door moment, anyone?) With the film’s boffo box-office haul and critics’ reviews singling out her work, it’s not a stretch to predict that Grande could clinch the gold statue come March.

Could Ariana Grande win a best supporting actress Oscar?

Over the course of two movies, which tell the untold story of the witches of Oz, Grande brilliantly tracks Glinda’s arc from superficial popular girl to reluctant participant in a fascist regime. She understands that Glinda is a character of many contradictions, who is capable of tremendous compassion and warmth, but is also not immune to selfishness and insecurity.

The doe-eyed actress achingly conveys Glinda’s yearning: for her defiant green-skinned friend, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), and aloof prince fiancé, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). We cheer when she decisively stands up to the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and his co-conspirator, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), yet watch in horror as she betrays Elphaba, suggesting how they might lure her out of hiding.

The latter scene is captured in tight close-up as director Jon M. Chu trains the camera on Grande’s face, which oscillates between heartbreak, anger and pained resignation. Chu says that he hadn’t planned to make it one long, unbroken take until he saw Grande’s performance, which manages to be both “wicked” and “empathetic” in that moment.

It was a few months into filming, and “at that point, I knew what Ari was capable of,” Chu recalls to USA TODAY. “I thought I’d have to eventually cut it up (in the edit), but when she did it on the day, I knew we had it. It’s a really difficult thing, but Ari just proved herself over and over and over again. She just kept exercising this muscle that she either found, or she had all this time and we just didn’t look closely enough.”

'Wicked: For Good' faces stiff competition at the Oscars from 'Sinners,' 'One Battle After Another'

Earlier this month, awards pundits unanimously named Grande the Oscar front-runner for best supporting actress. Those predictions have changed slightly since critics weighed in on the movie itself, which garnered praise for both Grande and Erivo, but was considered less charming and somewhat messier than the first. (“Wicked: For Good” holds 70% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Wicked” has 88%.)

Grande, too, faces a formidable lineup of supporting actress contenders this season, with mesmerizing work from Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”), Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall (“One Battle After Another”), and Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (“Sentimental Value”).

“Sinners,” “One Battle” and “Sentimental Value” are all expected to earn Oscar best picture nominations, while “Wicked” now runs the risk of being a bubble contender. Since 2010, only three best supporting actress winners have won without a corresponding best picture nod: Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”), Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) and Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”).

But the Academy loves a musical, and multiple song-and-dance scene-stealers have nabbed the gold in that category, including Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls"), Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago"), Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story") and Anne Hathaway ("Les Misérables").

"Wicked: For Good" may not ultimately be an Oscar juggernaut like its predecessor, which made off with 10 nominations and two wins last year. But it'll take a lot more than a few "horrendible" reviews to pop Grande's awards bubble.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Ariana Grande could still win an Oscar for 'Wicked: For Good'

Reporting by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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