For fans who are petitioning for Ariana Grande to play Megara in the recently announced live-action adaptation of Hercules, you can add the singer’s brother, Frankie Grande, to your list of supporters! “I think Meg is such a great character for her,” Frankie shared EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife. “Honestly, my sister is one of the strongest female entrepreneurs or business women at top of her game,” the 37-year-old continued, referring to Ari as an absolute “boss lady.”
“And that’s really Meg,” he confessed of the popular character from the 1997 animated Disney feature. “Meg is, like, the sassiest princess, you know? So if my sister is gonna be a Disney princess, then she’s gonna be sassy. She’s gonna be strong; she’s gonna be loud; she’s gonna be outspoken. So I think it’s the perfect role for her,” he gushed about the 26-year-old “Thank U, Next” songstress. “And, absolutely, she should absolutely play it.”
The sudden craze for Ariana to play the beloved Disney character started when Ari completely dazzled fans during ABC’s Disney Family Singalong special on April 16. During the televised event, Ari sang the unforgettable tune from the movie, “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” which is sung by the character Meg and the Muses. Meg’s voice was provided by the talents of Susan Egan in the original film. Ariana not only sang Meg’s part to perfection, she also took on each of the Muses parts, harmonizing with her own voice in the pristinely edited package.
Ever since the singalong and the April 30 announcement that Disney was planning the live-action film, fans have been begging for Ariana to play Meg and even set up an online Change.org petition to make it happen! As of the publishing of this post, the petition has acquired over 14,000 signatures. But Ariana already has the résumé to back up her potential claim to the role.Ariana also performed the song “Beauty and the Beast” with John Legend for the 2017 live-action movie. Plus, she’s no stranger to working on a set, having starred in shows like Sam & Cat, Scream Queens, and, not to mention, her early Broadway work in the show 13! It seems like the stars could align for Ariana and the gods may very well bless fans with her casting. But until anything is certain, Frankie teased to HL, “Everything happens for a reason.”