Celebrities Who Manifested Their Dream Roles and Collaborations: Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron and More

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Celebrities Who Manifested Their Dream Roles and Collaborations: Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron and More

Say it and it will happen. Although several stars have vocalized their preferences for certain roles, there are a lucky few who have managed to make those dreams a reality. Simu Liu made headlines in 2019 when he was cast as Shang-Chi in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. At the time, the actor recalled a past tweet of his that predicted the role he would soon get to play. "Hey Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero," he wrote in July 2014. Looking back on the instance of social media manifestation, the stuntman said had no clue that a simple thought would lead to the role of a lifetime. "I had absolutely no idea it was going to happen. It was kind of just a facetious thing that I tweeted," Liu shared during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in September 2021. "What's happened in these next few years has been pretty incredible and pretty insane. So I am just pinching myself every day, to be honest." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also weighed in on the 2014 post, admitting that he had only seen it after the Kim's Convenience alum was already chosen. “Along with our casting director Sarah Finn, [we] scoured the earth looking for Shang-Chi. [Simu] tweeted, which we found out after he was cast, but he had an amazing audition, he had an amazing reel, did some great work up on in Canada," Feige explained at the movie's red carpet premiere in September 2021. "And just brought as you will find soon a relatability to it that all Marvel heroes need but he can also achieve, we believe, that sort of iconic status to stand within the pantheon of Marvel heroes.” Liu isn't the only superhero who's managed to manifest success. Dove Cameron was also in for a surprise when she was offered the role of Bubbles in the live-action Powerpuff Girls series. "The second [the show] was announced on Twitter, I screenshoted it and sent it to [my team]. I was like, ‘Guys, I just need to audition.’ I don't even care if they don't see me for the role, I just need to audition," Cameron revealed to PopSugar in March 2021 about her journey to score the lead role. At the time, the Descendants star explained that she was excited to bring the animated character to life after falling in love with the cartoon series, which aired from 1998 until 2005. "As a fan, I was reading the script and I was like, 'Oh, that would be how these girls would grow up. Oh, that would be psychologically what would happen. Oh, that figures in the relationship with the professor.' It makes sense," she noted. "There's a lot of confusion, but we're not playing 7-year-olds. It's not a cartoon. They are real people. This is very much real-life problems and girls with trauma [about] what happens if you grow up in the spotlight and you are international superheroes, but you're real people." Two months later, the CW’s CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed that the pilot would be reshot. Cameron, who remained attached to the project, admitted that she was looking forward to bringing a different approach to the revamped episode. "I'm actually very excited at the thought of it because I was texting the girls and we're like, 'Oh. Well, now we know what we're doing. What an amazing thing,'" she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2021. "You never get to do that as an actor, go back and be like, 'What would I have done differently?'" Scroll down to see other stars who got their dream roles and collaborations after speaking it into the universe: [podcast_block]

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Celebrities Who Manifested Their Dream Roles and Collaborations: Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron and More

Say it and it will happen. Although several stars have vocalized their preferences for certain roles, there are a lucky few who have managed to make those dreams a reality. Simu Liu made headlines in 2019 when he was cast as Shang-Chi in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. At the time, the actor recalled a past tweet of his that predicted the role he would soon get to play. "Hey Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero," he wrote in July 2014. Looking back on the instance of social media manifestation, the stuntman said had no clue that a simple thought would lead to the role of a lifetime. "I had absolutely no idea it was going to happen. It was kind of just a facetious thing that I tweeted," Liu shared during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in September 2021. "What's happened in these next few years has been pretty incredible and pretty insane. So I am just pinching myself every day, to be honest." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also weighed in on the 2014 post, admitting that he had only seen it after the Kim's Convenience alum was already chosen. “Along with our casting director Sarah Finn, [we] scoured the earth looking for Shang-Chi. [Simu] tweeted, which we found out after he was cast, but he had an amazing audition, he had an amazing reel, did some great work up on in Canada," Feige explained at the movie's red carpet premiere in September 2021. "And just brought as you will find soon a relatability to it that all Marvel heroes need but he can also achieve, we believe, that sort of iconic status to stand within the pantheon of Marvel heroes.” Liu isn't the only superhero who's managed to manifest success. Dove Cameron was also in for a surprise when she was offered the role of Bubbles in the live-action Powerpuff Girls series. "The second [the show] was announced on Twitter, I screenshoted it and sent it to [my team]. I was like, ‘Guys, I just need to audition.’ I don't even care if they don't see me for the role, I just need to audition," Cameron revealed to PopSugar in March 2021 about her journey to score the lead role. At the time, the Descendants star explained that she was excited to bring the animated character to life after falling in love with the cartoon series, which aired from 1998 until 2005. "As a fan, I was reading the script and I was like, 'Oh, that would be how these girls would grow up. Oh, that would be psychologically what would happen. Oh, that figures in the relationship with the professor.' It makes sense," she noted. "There's a lot of confusion, but we're not playing 7-year-olds. It's not a cartoon. They are real people. This is very much real-life problems and girls with trauma [about] what happens if you grow up in the spotlight and you are international superheroes, but you're real people." Two months later, the CW’s CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed that the pilot would be reshot. Cameron, who remained attached to the project, admitted that she was looking forward to bringing a different approach to the revamped episode. "I'm actually very excited at the thought of it because I was texting the girls and we're like, 'Oh. Well, now we know what we're doing. What an amazing thing,'" she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2021. "You never get to do that as an actor, go back and be like, 'What would I have done differently?'" Scroll down to see other stars who got their dream roles and collaborations after speaking it into the universe: [podcast_block]

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Austin Butler

In January 2023, Butler received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic. That same month, the California native's former costar Ashley Tisdale shared a clip from their appearance in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure.

"There's a buzz. Then it gets into a festival. Then it gets distribution. Then I'm signing a studio deal and then I'm getting an Oscar," Butler, who played Tisdale's love interest in the film, said as his character Peyton. 

Credit: Evan Agostini/AP/Shutterstock

Lea Michele

For years, the actress expressed interest in playing Fanny Brice in Broadway's Funny Girl. Michele's character on Glee, Rachel Berry, performed several songs from the musical and later went on to star in the revival after graduating high school.

The New Jersey native later confirmed her attempts to score the lead role during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2017. "I hope so, I really hope so," she said at the time. "We were thinking of doing it right after Glee but I did a lot of the songs from Funny Girl on Glee so it felt like a little soon, but I feel really ready to do it now so maybe we could do it soon."

In July 2022, Michele was announced as Beanie Feldstein's replacement, three months after the show returned to Broadway.

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock; David Fisher/Shutterstock

BTS and Olivia Rodrigo

Minutes after telling E! News on the 2022 Grammys red carpet that they wanted to work with the "Deja Vu" singer, the K-pop band got their wish. While performing "Butter" at the awards show, V sat beside Rodrigo in the audience and whispered in her ear — and the cameo drove fans wild.

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Ahead of the Oscars in March 2022, Eilish revealed that she and her brother had been dreaming about recording a James Bond theme song for a long time. "It's kinda crazy, because for years and years, way before this was even, like, any sort of possibility in the slightest at all, we would — kind of as not even a joke, like a fantasy — we would sit down and write Bond songs thinking it was the coolest thing," the "Bad Guy" songstress told E! News on the red carpet. "Like, 'How cool would it be to get to write a Bond song? We could just pretend to.' We would role-play writing a Bond song. And we would constantly tell our team, 'If there's any opportunity ever in the future.'" The duo released "No Time to Die" in 2020, and two years later, they took home an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock; Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista

In November 2021, news broke that the Dune costars were working on a buddy action comedy that was inspired by a tweet Bautista sent three months earlier.

“Just going to throw this out into the atmosphere and see what happens,” the Guardians of the Galaxy actor wrote in August 2021, before detailing a “Lethal Weapon-type buddy cop movie directed by David Leitch” that starred him and Momoa.

The Aquaman actor later suggested that the film be shot in his native Hawaii — and according to Deadline, he got his wish. The movie based on the See costars’ original idea will be written by Jonathan Tropper and will start shooting in 2023.

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Ariana Grande

“Loved seeing Wicked again… amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole,” the "Positions" singer tweeted in 2011.

A decade later, Grande was cast as Glinda the Good Witch in the movie adaption of the Broadway show, with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Tom Holland

At an event in 2014, the Cherry star admitted that there was one role he couldn't imagine turning down.

"It's impossible to say something you exactly want to do, but something with action or comedy, maybe something that's less serious," Holland explained at the time. "What kind of superhero would I want to play? Maybe get ready to play Spider-Man in 10 years time for the reboot of the reboot."

The U.K. name has since played Spider-Man in six different movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Dove Cameron

"I really just want to play Bubbles in a live-action Power Puff Girls movie," the Disney alum tweeted in April 2013. Eight years later, Cameron was cast in the CW's live-action superhero series. 

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Beanie Feldstein

After the Lady Bird star was cast as Fanny Brice in the 2022 Broadway production of Funny Girl, the California native reflected on nabbing her dream role.

"I went to my third birthday party dressed as fanny brice so sometimes dreams actually come true 🥺🥺🥺," the Booksmart star revealed via Instagram in August 2021.

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Simu Liu

"OK @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi," Liu tweeted in December 2018. One year later, it was announced that the China native had scored the titular role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  

Credit: Diggzy/Shutterstock

Demi Lovato

"Dream Collabs: Kelly Clarkson (duh),  Eminem, Ed Sheeran, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, Macklemore, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, & Drake 🎶🎶," the performer tweeted in April 2014.

Four years later, Lovato and Aguilera collaborated on "Fall in Line," which was nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Credit: Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock

Kumail Nanjiani

In 2019, the Silicon Valley alum tweeted, "Comic Con 2012: I got to interview Stan Lee. He was lovely & made fun of Superman. Comic Con 2019: Me on stage at Hall H as one of the newest members of the MCU." 

The comedian portrayed Kingo in the 2021 Marvel film Eternals.