Skyler Gisondo heard Ariana Grande’s unreleased songs on the set of their upcoming comedy, and his reaction was blunt. “One day on set, after she played some of her unreleased music, I told her, ‘Nobody should be able to do this,’” Gisondo recalled.
Grande gave her Focker-in-Law castmates a preview of the new music during filming, and Gisondo says hearing it added to his admiration for a co-star he already knew could sing, dance and make people laugh.
Gisondo, 30, has watched Grande, 33, become one of the world’s biggest performers. Working with her gave him a closer look at the effort behind those abilities.
“She works so hard and cares so much about what she’s doing, and she’s such a perfectionist,” he said. “She’s also wonderful, kind to everybody and collaborative.”
That willingness to collaborate sometimes meant encouraging Gisondo to make the call himself. He said he’d defer to her, only for Grande to reply, “No, no, whatever you want.” His response: “You’re Ariana Grande, whatever you want.”
The songs she shared remain unreleased. Her most recent album, Petal, arrived in July, and her Eternal Sunshine tour ended in September.
Gisondo also praised her comedy performance in the upcoming film: “She’s terrific in the movie, and I’m really happy for people to see her in this way.”