‘Wicked’ Star Ethan Slater on His ‘Dumb’ Self-Tape Audition for Boq and How Therapy Is Helping Him Get Through This ‘Crazy Ride’
variety.comMarc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Ethan Slater is trying to get used to the attention he’s receiving for both his professional and private lives.
He’s making his big-screen acting debut as the lovesick Boq in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” opposite Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Baily, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Marissa Bode.
Last year, Slater and Grande faced scrutiny as rumors about their relationship spread online, coinciding with reports of their respective divorces from previous partners. “My therapist, for sure,” Slater says when I ask who he’s leaning on to cope with the intense spotlight. “He’s been really helpful.” Until now, the 32-year-old Washington D.C.
native was best known and loved by Broadway fans for his Tony-nominated work in “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.” “Ultimately, the thing that’s so important in so many facets of life, whether it’s fame or career or whatever, is just to have a good group of people around you,” Slater says on the latest episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “I am really lucky to have amazing friends and wonderful family that are grounding and helpful and loving and caring.
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