Ariana Grande’s character faces a challenge in a new teaser for the upcoming film Focker-in-Law — a lie-detector test, to be precise. The preview, released Tuesday (April 14), offers a sneak peek before the release of the full trailer. In the clip, Grande — still sporting her blonde look from her role as Glinda in Wicked — is hooked up to wires for a polygraph administered by Robert De Niro, who reprises his role as Jack Byrnes from the Meet the Parents series, a role he’s played since 2000. Meanwhile, Ben Stiller, returning as Greg Focker, stumbles into the basement where the interrogation is taking place.
Instead of actual dialogue, on-screen text asks: “The Focker-in-Law trailer comes out tomorrow?” Grande’s character, Olivia, steels herself and responds simply: “Yes.”
De Niro’s character then remarks, “You clearly know your stuff,” in the teaser.
Fans will need to wait until Wednesday (April 15) for a longer preview of the film, which is scheduled for release in theaters this November. The lie-detector scene is a nostalgic nod to a moment from the original Meet the Parents film, which debuted over 25 years ago.
Grande has shared limited details about her role as Olivia, describing her as a “ballbuster”—a trait she attributes to her late grandmother. “She is, she can be that way,” the singer-actress told Variety in November. “But she’s a really good girl.”
The cast wrapped filming late last year, and Grande marked the milestone with a heartfelt Instagram post. Sharing behind-the-scenes photos with her co-stars, she wrote, “these past few months have been so, so unimaginably special. i love my Fockers, and i love my Byrnes… so, so very much. i will miss this bunch terribly. see you next november!”
Additionally, Grande appears to be teasing her upcoming eighth album. Earlier in April, she sparked rumors by changing her Brighter Days hotline message to say she’s “counting down the 8s — oops! I mean, the days” until her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which begins in June.
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @frazer.live
- @neill.outloud
