“Wicked”: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum in the world of Oz

After being a successful musical, here comes Wicked is available as a feature film directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh. Let’s raise the curtain on this long-awaited production…

“There were so many reasons why I wanted the role of Glinda. But I really wanted to deserve this role, it was the most important,” Ariana Grande said during the press conference held in Los Angeles at the end of last week.

Car Wicked follows two young women, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), who later become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South in the Oz books by American writer L .Frank Baum. Wicked will be available in two feature films, the next arriving next year at the same time. And since Wickedthe film, is based on Wickedthe musical created in 2003 (itself adapted from the novel by Gregory Maguire, published in 1995), the feature film is a musical… just like The Wizard of Oz which is also celebrating its 85th anniversary this year.

“It’s very different from what I usually sing,” Ariana Grande said. Two to three months before my first audition, I worked on the songs, my diction, etc. every day. I wanted to be able to have every possible tool at my disposal to do whatever was asked of me in order to land the role. I put everything else on pause and immersed myself in the character.”

A friendship between two women

Elphaba and Glinda meet when they have both just been admitted to Shiz University, the most prestigious in the land of Oz, headed by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Their unlikely friendship, as well as the realization of Elphaba’s talents, and their meeting with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) will have repercussions throughout the kingdom. And Wicked is also interested in the rise of a fascist movement that wishes to prevent the animals of Oz from being heard.

“During filming, we made a pact,” revealed Cynthia Erivo, “to support each other, to be honest, to be there for each other. That’s really what struck me the most about filming.”

Now friends in life, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo even had the same tattoo done in memory of Wicked.

Wicked in surprising numbers

• A Norfolk farmer, Mark Eves, planted nine million tulips of different colors for the setting of Munchkinland.
• Three giant wheels were built for the dance number of Dancing Through Life in the library of Shiz University. One of them, called the tornado wheel allowed the actors to be moved so that they could reach any book in the giant structures of the place.
• The train, theEmerald City Expresswhich connects the University to the city, weighed 58 tons.
• The character of Nessarose is in a wheelchair, which is also the case for the actress Marissa Bode who plays her. Director Jon M. Chu and producer Matt Platt therefore made the decision to make all film sets accessible to people with reduced mobility, a first in Hollywood history.

Wicked lands on cinema screens from November 22.