When Ariana Grande recently dropped the music video for 'thank u, next' there was much excitement as it clearly had a number of Noughties film influences throughout it including, Bring it on, Legally Blonde and the 2004 hit teen comedy, Mean Girls.
Now, Jonathan Bennett, who starred as Aaron Samuels in the popular film, has revealed how he ended up in Ariana Grande's music video saying, "It’s why I love Ariana Grande, because she gives her fans what they want".
The actor spoke to Buzzfeed about his involvement in the video saying, “With all the craziness going on in the world right now, to just put this video out…you just smile when you watch it ’cause it’s just fun.”
Jonathan explained what it was like to reprise his character from 14 years ago saying, “After every take, everyone would just applaud and laugh and be so excited. With all the c--p that’s happened to her in the past year, to be around all these things that make her happy, you can totally see that shining through."
The Mean Girls actor went on to say how he hadn't had his hair straightened, a signature characteristic of Aaron Samuels, for a LONG time explaining, "I hadn’t had that done in 14 or 15 years, so to have that done and then look in the mirror for the first time with the blue sweatshirt on, it definitely gave me chills."
Ariana dropped her new music video late last week after teasing fans for a while with clips, clearly taking inspiration from a number of early 00s films. Starting with Twitter, she posted a black and white photo of herself wearing a cheerleading outfit.
Then, taking to her Instagram Stories she posted a number of photos and videos from both the upcoming music video and the original film. One post included a colour photo of Ariana with the song name written across it.
Now take a look Ariana Grande's relationship timeline:
Ariana Grande's relationship timeline: Her complete dating history SLIDER heat
1 of 8Ariana Grande and Graham Phillips (2008-2011)
Ariana and Graham met at 15 years old when they were both starring in the Broadway production of 13: The Musical. They dated for three years and released a song called Stick Around together in 2010. Ari continued the trend of duetting with partners later in her career, but more on that later.Is he on thank u, next? Nah, mate.
2 of 8Ariana Grande and Jai Brooks (2012-2014)
Ariana dated Jai Brooks - a member of Australian prank-pop band The Janoskians - between 2012 and 2014. Things didn't end on good terms, though; as Jai accused Ariana of cheating on him with The Wanted's Nathan Sykes very publicly on Twitter. Ariana denied the claims, before the pair briefly got back together for a couple of months in 2014.Is he on thank u, next? Nope.
3 of 8Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes (2014)
Following that Jai Brooks drama, Ari and Nathan got together as they collaborated on the track Almost is Never Enough; taken from her debut album. The pair split just months later, with many reports claiming Ari wrote Break Your Heart Right Back about the split.The pair are still on good terms and released a second duet - Over and Over Again - in 2016.Is he on thank u, next? No, but he's fine with it. In an interview with TMZ Nathan explained it's 'good' he didn't get a mention, whatever that means.
4 of 8Ariana Grande and Big Sean (2014-2015)
Ariana and Big Sean made their public debut on the GRAMMY red carpet in 2015. Much like Nathan and Ari, the pair have two duets together; 2013's Right There and 2014's Best Mistake. The couple reportedly split due to busy schedules, but they remain 'good friends' and Ari confirmed he heard thank u, next ahead of its release.Is he on thank u, next? Yep, the opening line 'thought I'd end up with Sean, but it wasn't a match' is about him.
5 of 8Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez (2015-2016)
Following her split from Big Sean Ariana dated one of her dancers, Ricky Alvarez, for a year. He's the guy she's hanging out with in that infamous doughnut shop video, remember? Neither party have explained the cause of the split, but they remain on good terms.Is he on thank u, next? Yup. The line 'wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh' refers to many tracks on her 2016 album Dangerous Woman; including Knew Better/Forever Boy. He's cool with it, though; taking to his Instagram story to praise both Ariana and the track.
6 of 8Ariana Grande and Mac Miller (2016-2018)
Ariana dated the late Mac Miller (real name Malcolm McCormick) from 2016-2018. The pair originally collaborated on her debut single The Way back in 2013 and released another track - My Favourite Part - in 2016. Mac famously supported Ariana at her One Love Manchester concert in 2017 following the Manchester Arena terror attack and split earlier this year after she debuted No Tears Left to Cry at Coachella.Mac tragically passed away on 7th September 2018, and Ariana has since paid tribute to the rapper.Is he on thank u, next? Ariana describes Mac as an 'angel' on the track in a fitting tribute to the late star.
7 of 8Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson (2018)
Ariana and SNL comedian Pete Davidson proved the whirlwind romance of 2018. Just weeks after getting together, the pair announced their engagement in June 2018. The pair split in October 2018 but remain on good terms.Pete addressed their break-up on SNL, saying: "The truth is, it's nobody's business. Sometimes things just don't work out. She's a wonderful strong person and I wish her all the happiness in the world."Is he on thank u, next? Yep. 'Even almost got married, and for Pete I'm so thankful' is obviously about their whirlwind romance.
8 of 8Herself. YAAAS.
In thank u, next Ariana serves some unapologetic feminism as she claims she's now in a relationship with herself. YAS, queen.
'thank u, next' is a song about Ariana's past relationships and the lyrics mention a number of her ex-boyfriends including, Big Sean, Mac Miller and her ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. Here are some of the lyrics:
'Thought I’d end up with Sean
But he wasn’t a match
Wrote some songs about Ricky
Now I listen and laugh
Even almost got married
And for Pete I’m so thankful
Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm [Miller]
Cause he was an angel'
Now take a look at Ariana's transformation from teenage TV star to worldwide pop sensation:
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