Ethan Slater shows off his chest as he poses for a new cover story for Fault magazine, published on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old actor – who is embroiled in split rumors with girlfriend Ariana Grande – opened up on a range of topics during his interview with the outlet, from discussing his own ‘flaws’ to dealing with his growing fame.
The Tony-nominated actor most recently played Bok/Tin Man in Wicked: For Good – which dominated the box office with a record-breaking opening weekend of $226 million following its theatrical release on November 21.
Slater caused a storm on the cover wearing a cropped black blazer as well as matching high-waist bottoms from menswear brand Sivan.
She opted not to add a shirt underneath, adding a colorful red brooch from Job Dacon on the left lapel of the stylish blazer.
Standing in front of a plain, gray backdrop, the star completed the look by wearing a pair of black shoes.
Ethan Slater, 33, flashes his chest as he poses for a new cover story for Fault magazine published on Tuesday.
During his interview with the outlet the actor opened up on a range of topics from discussing his own ‘flaws’ to dealing with his growing fame.
Slater’s professional acting career began in 2012 when he appeared in the short film A Guy Walks into a Bar – following which he participated in the New York Musical Theater Festival in 2015.
The following year he played SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical in 2016 – which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.
He then rose to greater prominence when he was cast as Bok/Tin Man in the film adaptation of Wicked (2024) as well as the sequel Wicked: For God (2025).
During his conversation with Fault Magazine, Slater reflected on his fame amid his growing career in the industry.
‘What has been beneficial in the last six months is that as more projects have come up, people are looking at more than just Bok,’ he said.
The actor expressed that he doesn’t feel he is ‘recognisable’ and further added, ‘I’m quite distinctive, but the more people see different roles, the more they remember the character I’m playing.
‘It feels like the roles are moving forward and Ethan is moving back a little bit, which is nice. I feel fortunate to be able to do more work.
Slater also opened up about his mistakes and admitted that he was ‘not good at responding to text messages.’
Last week, Slater rekindled breakup rumors with girlfriend Ariana Grande when he uncomfortably dodged a question about their relationship on the Today show; Seen in LA in February
Slater stormed the cover wearing a cropped black blazer from menswear brand Sivan along with matching high-waist bottoms.
The following year he played SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical – which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical; Seen above in concert in NYC in 2017
During his conversation with Fault Magazine, Slater reflected on his fame amid his growing career in the industry
‘It feels like the roles are moving forward and Ethan is moving back a little bit, which is nice. “I feel fortunate to do more things,” the star said.
“It may seem like I don’t care about the people I love, but it’s really overwhelming,” he said.
‘I struggle to separate the anxiety of everything coming up on my phone from the messages that really matter.’
Slater also shared, ‘I definitely have a fear of being misunderstood, and that includes that. I often feel misunderstood, but you know, that’s the thing.’
When it comes to transitioning from the stage to the big screen, the star said there is a lot of difference.
“It’s all about knowing who your audience is,” the actor said. ‘On stage, the audience is a full house, you play your angle, make sure your voice is effective, and your emotions are big enough for everyone to see.’
However when it comes to movies, Slater said that ‘your audience is the camera.
‘You still play your angles, but the camera is catching you differently. These are the same goals with different technologies.
‘Someone once said something like, “On stage, the audience hears what you say; on film, they hear what you think.” I think that’s true, even in music.’
Slater also shared, ‘I definitely have a fear of being misunderstood, and that includes that. I’m often misunderstood, but you know, that’s what it is’
When it comes to transitioning from the stage to the big screen, the star said there’s a lot of difference
The Tony-nominated actor most recently played Bok/Tin Man in Wicked: For Good – which dominated the box office with a record-breaking opening weekend of $226 million after its theatrical release on November 21.
Last week, Slater reignited breakup rumors with girlfriend Ariana Grande when he uncomfortably dodged a question about their relationship on the Today show.
This romance began as an affair on the set during the shooting of their two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked.
Both stars were embroiled in scandal due to the fact that Slater was married to his ex-wife Lily Jay, with whom he had a three-year-old son.
Slater and Grande faced split speculation after the pair were not seen together in public since April. However, earlier this month the pair were spotted promoting their new film Wicked: For Good.
They appeared to defy speculation by posing side by side in group shots of the cast at the NYC premiere of the second Wicked film.
When asked about the experience of “working with your girlfriend every day,” Slater sidestepped the topic on Today and instead spoke in vague terms about how “incredible” the “whole cast” of his film is.
Slater called Grande ‘fantastic’, but also described her co-star Cynthia Erivo as ‘remarkable’, saying that it was a ‘very special’ experience for her to see both of them acting ‘up close at such a high level’.
A source recently insisted that Slater and Grande are ‘still together’, despite the couple keeping their distance at the Wicked: For Good premiere in London last week.
When asked about the experience of ‘working with your girlfriend every day’, Slater sidestepped the topic on Today and instead spoke in vague terms about how ‘incredible’ the ‘whole cast’ of his film is; Seen in Santa Monica in February
Both stars were embroiled in scandal due to the fact that Slater was married to his ex-wife Lily J, with whom he had a three-year-old son; former couple seen above
It is said that they met after the red carpet and screening.
An insider said: ‘Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they’ve seen interactions online and it’s not easy.
‘They were both at the Leicester Square premiere and after-party at Brasserie Zedel, but they made sure not to be seen together.’
The source continued to tell The Sun how they are both reluctant to showcase their relationship publicly.
He said: ‘When Ariana left after the party, she went back to her hotel suite.
‘Shortly after, Ethan was taken there and he went to meet Ariana to spend time with her.’
The Daily Mail contacted Ariana and Ethan’s representatives at the time.
But earlier last week on Monday, Grande and Slater were seen posing together in group shots at the New York City premiere of their new movie.
Last month the Daily Mail was told how Grande and Slater’s wedding plans were put on hold, and while they haven’t been photographed together since April, sources claimed they’ve been ‘on and off’ for several months.
An insider said: ‘Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they’ve seen interactions online and it’s not easy’; Grande seen in Beverly Hills in January
But earlier on Monday last week, Grande and Slater were seen posing together in group shots at the New York City premiere of their new film (seen above).
When news of their romance broke in July 2023, Grande had split from her husband Dalton Gomez – while Slater was still married to Lily J, with whom he had a one-year-old son.
Critics are hinting that their romance is not meant to last and have long been speculating that they have actually quietly separated.
Many have suggested that they not make it public until Wicked: For Good premieres and the promotion subsides, so as not to impact the release and 2026 awards season.
Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Grande’s career and level of fame are another obstacle – with Slater herself describing her fans as ‘brutal’ and ‘intense’ in a recent interview.
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