Ariana Grande has said she used Ariana Grande-Butera on Wicked because the film felt like a homecoming to her younger self. The name was the one she had when she first saw the Broadway musical at age 10, and she wanted both of her parents’ surnames included in the credit. That is her stated personal reason for this one film. The reporting does not establish a general crediting rule that explains why her other movie roles appear differently.
What Grande said about the credit
In a January 2025 interview with W Magazine, published January 3, 2025, Grande said the experience felt like “a homecoming to little Ariana.” She explained the name itself: Grande is her mother’s surname and Butera is her father’s. She wanted both to be part of the credit, calling it “the most important, full-circle thing I’ve ever done.”
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ABC News reported a related explanation on November 5, 2024. Grande said the name was the one she had when she saw Wicked on Broadway at age 10, and that using it felt like a lovely way of honoring that memory. She described it as something she simply wanted to do.
What the reporting confirms
- Her onscreen credit for Wicked is Ariana Grande-Butera, as ABC News described it.
- The choice is tied to Grande’s childhood experience of the show, not to a studio or industry requirement that she described.
- Grande and Butera are her mother’s and father’s surnames, respectively.
Why the comparison with her other movie roles is harder to settle
The title asks why she uses her full name for Wicked but not in her other film roles. The interviews answer the first half. They do not document a complete review of her filmography, so they cannot confirm how each of her other credits is billed or whether any of them differ from the pattern on Wicked.
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Readers should also avoid several conclusions the reporting does not support. It does not show that Grande legally changed her name, that she uses Grande-Butera on every acting credit, or that a studio, union, or contract rule shaped the Wicked billing. Any explanation of differences between her credits would be an inference, not something she or the reporting has stated.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check her credits yourself
- Open the film’s entry on IMDb or the official studio credits page and read the billed name in the cast list.
- Compare that entry with the end credits, since listings and onscreen credits do not always match.
- Check the interviews from each project for any comment on naming, which is the only way to learn a stated reason.
Where this leaves the question
The personal reason is clear: Grande linked the full name to Wicked and to the memory of seeing the show at 10. The broader question about her other roles remains open, because the available reporting covers one film and one stated motive.
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