A British schoolgirl who landed a starring role in Wicked alongside Ariana Grande has revealed how the actress ‘saved her’ when she was injured on set.
Nine-year-old Hattie Ryan played a munchkin in Wicked, which earned rave reviews after its debut in November.
The story, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, tells the story of Glina, the Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande, and Elphaba, played by Cynthia Eviro, during their time at University.
Because director Jonathan M. Chu was determined to make the film as realistic as possible, all sets were built outdoors and minimal CGI was used.
But when the wind picked up and sand from the yellow brick road flew into Hattie’s eye, she ended up stopping production because her face was so red from irritation.
But Ariana stepped in to save the day.
“I went to her dressing room to hug her,” Hattie told Femail.
‘She was very kind to me and told me to be brave when I got sand in my eyes and got angry.
Karis Musongole (left) and Hattie Ryan (right) joined the same drama school when they were three and have been inseparable ever since.
Hattie met Ariana Grande (left), who plays Glinda, while Karis got life advice from Cynthia Erivo (right), who plays Elphaba.
Hattie (pictured left dressed as a munchkin) is now traveling around Europe starring in advertisements, while Karis (pictured right dressed as young Elphaba) is now starring in a Christmas musical.
When asked what she thought of Ariana, Hattie responded, “She’s really a princess.”
Recalling her first day on set, Karis told Femail that she was “excited to work alongside the incredible cast.”
“I felt very lucky,” she said.
Hattie, however, remembers having some nerves on the first day, saying, “It almost didn’t feel real to be in the same room as big famous people.”
Surprisingly, Hattie was chosen alongside her best friend Karis Musongole, 10.
The pair entered the same drama school when they were three years old and have been inseparable ever since, so it’s only fitting that they are now in a Hollywood movie together.
While Karis was auditioning for the role of young Elphaba, her friend Hattie was auditioning to be a munchkin in the wonderful land of Oz.
Karis and Hattie auditioned for and landed roles in Wicked: Part One as young Elphaba and a munchkin respectively.
Despite facing tens of thousands of young hopefuls, the girls discovered they had landed their respective roles in the “dark night” due to the time differences between Los Angeles and Manchester.
Meanwhile, Karis spent some quality time with Broadway star Cynthia Erivo, even though she was flying most of the time.
Karis, who was eight years old at the time of filming, was on set while Cynthia sang Defying Gravity, arguably the most recognizable song from Wicked.
The young man said: “I got to spend time with Cynthia which was really lovely and I got to watch her fly.”
Karis herself was able to fly while playing the younger version of Cynthia’s character, Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
While filming their scenes together, Cynthia shared some “lovely advice” with Karis: “never be embarrassed by making mistakes on set, as do professionals who have been doing it for a long time.”
“Cynthia is as beautiful in person as she is on screen,” Karis told Femail.
After attending the premiere of Wicked in London, Karis went on to play a lead role in a Christmas musical.
And Hattie travels by plane across Europe filming commercials.
Karis attends the London premiere of Wicked: Part One at the Royal Festival Hall
Karis (second from right) poses with the Wicked stars. The 10-year-old told MailOnline she was “excited to be working alongside the incredible cast”.
Both girls told Femail that they plan to continue training at their Manchester-based drama school to “get better and better.”
Your advice to young people who want to pursue a career in acting?
“Work hard and don’t give up,” Karis said. “There will be many no’s before there is a yes. But all of us are preparing you for that great job.
‘And have fun!’ —Hattie added.
Wicked opened with $19.2 million in its first week, despite upset over lead stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s emotionally charged press tour.
Amazon Prime screenings on November 18 reportedly generated $2.5 million from 750 theaters nationwide.
Advanced screenings on November 20 grossed another $5.7 million in the United States and Canada.
It will be released on streaming services on New Year’s Eve.