Months have passed since Ariana Grande’s turn on Saturday Night Live, but a certain character she portrayed still lingers. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the singer discussed that she’s “still unpacking the emotional weight” of her role as Antonio – an extremely traumatized, bowl-cut-hatting castrato.
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Ariana Grande
The most absurd contestant of them all was, of course, Antonio from “Castrati,” who came before the audience with a straight face and a rather eerie posture. Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph played the parents to gift him to the world as a contestant with gorgeous, high-pitched vocals, which had been preserved through that infamous castration procedure.
Ariana Grande hilarious and very unexpected performance was trending in no time. Her association with this character seems to run beyond a humorous scene.
“He’s still with me, you know?” Ariana Grande said to Fallon, a hint of amusement laced with surprise in her voice. “I still hold a strong connection to Antonio.” While that line initially made audiences laugh, it speaks to the depth that Grande brings into her performances-even the comedic ones.
Fan encounters really drive home that emotional investment in the character. Grande said fans who attend the premieres of “Wicked” around the world still see her as Antonio and ask for character autographs.
“They’ve been coming to the premieres, which is insane,” Grande said, with both amusement and bewilderment in her voice. “But I mean, really, I understand it.”
Such an unexpected effect of Antonio testifies not only about the performance of Grande but also that comedy possesses some major staying power. It is a fine comedienne’s comedic timing and devotion to her work which has left an impact from a one-off character by fans and even from Grande.
While Antonio’s degree of “emotional weight” remains playfully opaque, Ariana Grande’s experience reminds us that even the most unlikely characters make their mark upon both the performer and the audience alike.
