The conclusion of Wicked has come and gone from the 2025 movie schedule, but the release of the pair of movies feels like something we’re going to be talking about for years to come – especially for longtime fans of the musical. I just came across Jon M. Chu’s explanation of how Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were paired up, and I had no idea it went down this way.
I’ve definitely heard about how cutthroat auditioning for Wicked was. Amanda Seyfried said she auditioned for the role six times before not getting the role. I can’t imagine how many rounds the movies’ Glinda and Elphaba went through. Check out what the director said about how they decided on the actors as a pairing:
[Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande] never did a chemistry read together. We paired them with different people. And then I was like, ‘She’s definitely the Elphaba and she’s definitely the Glinda.’ And we couldn’t bring them back, we just brought them in so many times. So, we just took a bet and said, they’re going to match.
It's wild, isn’t it? I’d expect that Grande and Erivo went through a ton of chemistry tests together before nabbing the roles, but apparently each of them earned their roles separately before being combined into a memorable duo. It sounds like Chu wasn’t quite sure the two would blend, but took a shot in the dark after spending a lot of time on picking each role. As he continued:
And so the first time we ever met, they came together, we came to my house, my living room, and I had a piano there, because I was about to move to London. Someone who was moving in put their piano in there, and Stephen Schwartz was there as well, who wrote all the music for Wicked. And, he just got on the keys and started playing, and he’s like, ‘Should we try ‘For Good?’’ So, the first time they ever sang together, they sang ‘For Good’.
John Chu took a chance on a blind pairing, and came up very much in luck with these two actresses. And the fact that the first song they got to duet is “For Good,” feels like the perfect way for their journey together to start. Of course, both of them are huge talents in their own right and are perfect in their respective roles, but their chemistry as friends is so key to Wicked. The director also said this in an interview from TODAY with Jenna & Friends:
I took out my kids out of their beds. I was like ‘You better watch this right now, this is history in the making.’ All of us in tears. And that’s the moment I knew. I was like, this is something so special. The world has no idea what they’re about to get.
The rest is certainly history! The first Wicked movie came out last fall to commercial succes and multiple Oscar nominations (including for Grande and Erivo). The second movie, For Good, led to more mixed feelings among audiences, particularly for its new additions, but that has nothing to do with its leads’ specific talents. (Oh, and the sequel broke some box office records.)
And who can forget some of the iconic press tour moments! From the pair joining forces to method dress at events, to their meme-worthy “holding space” moment, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as a pair are unforgettable. If you’re missing the Wicked movies, you can currently watch the first movie with an Amazon Prime subscription, and/or buy/rent them on your preferred digital platform.
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