Finding the perfect cast for Wicked wasn’t a process to be taken lightly. Considering what a beloved musical it was on the Broadway stage, Jon M. Chu’s new movie (which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription) would be the first time we see Elphaba, Glinda, and more of Oz’s residents on the big screen. I already knew the audition process for the musical movie was intense, but I never knew how much until Amanda Seyfried spoke about how many times she tried out.
During Backstage’s In the Envelope podcast, Amanda Seyfried spoke about getting several auditions for movie musicals. Can you blame studios? The Mean Girls actress proved herself as a phenomenal singer in the cast of Mamma Mia! So it’s only natural that more movie musicals would want to take advantage of this actress’s incredible range. Seyfried had to audition for her Cosette role in Les Misérables six times, and the same was said for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked:
I'm in that privileged spot where I just don't have to [audition]. But I like, of course, I talked about this a lot, I auditioned like six times for Wicked, because that had to be really just right. And I loved it. I was busy. I barely had time to do it, but I made it work. I worked my ass off for years and years and years on that music.
Six auditions certainly are a lot for one movie. Amanda Seyfried was in the same boat auditioning for Glinda like Dove Cameron, Taylor Louderman and Reneé Rapp. Now I’m curious how grueling their audition process was.
Knowing what a dedicated actress the Jennifer’s Body star is, it doesn’t surprise me that Amanda Seyfried worked hard for years on Wicked’s songs. At the same time, though, her voice is so flawless that she sounds almost effortless.
A viral video of the Emmy-winning actress singing “Popular” showed that Amanda Seyfried is capable of hitting Glinda’s high notes majestically. While we know, of course, that Ariana Grande would be the one to transform as Glinda for the Oscar-nominated movie, I truly believe Seyfried would have been a great Glinda too. I could picture her bringing out the Shiz University student’s bubbly charm. On the bright side, at least The Dropout star got to sing with Elphaba’s Cynthia Erivo for her audition.
Auditions aren’t something you can waltz into. Especially with an iconic role like Glinda, you want to make sure you give it your all musically and emotionally. You better believe that Amanda Seyfried made sure to tell Backstage about bringing her A-game to the audition:
I’m competitive with myself in a really healthy way, I think.
Aren’t we all? I understand the feeling of never wanting to dive into anything unless you give it everything you have. Ariana Grande certainly did for her Wicked audition as well, having to sing four Glinda songs and go through dialogue during the callbacks and more songs. Even though the former Nickelodeon actress became a successful pop star as an adult, Grande said her approach to auditioning for Wicked still involved a lot of dedication to show she “earned” the part. I’m sure she and Amanda Seyfried agree that walking down the yellow brick road wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
With Seyfried talking about auditioning for Glinda six times, it’s evident to me now more than ever how careful casting was for Wicked. While Grande won the role of Glinda, I’m still holding out hope we see Seyfried in another musical movie. Maybe Mamma Mia 3 will eventually happen? And I still see her as Joni Mitchell if a biopic is ever made about the singer-songwriter.
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