Michelle Yeoh didn’t know about ‘Wicked’ before joining the cast.
“And I at that point had no clue what he was talking about because I had not seen ‘Wicked’ the musical before,” the actress said at the Los Angeles premiere of the film while discussing how director Jon M. Chu had asked her to read the script to consider playing Madame Morrible.
She continued, “I knew ‘Wizard of Oz,’ who doesn’t, but not ‘Wicked,’ because I hadn’t been going to the theaters and not doing what I love which is watching musicals, for quite a while I hate to say.”
“So I read it and called Jon back and said, ‘This is a musical and she sings.’ And he said, ‘Oh easy, you’ll have fun, you’re up for the challenge.’ And then the next thing I knew I get this video call and it was him with Ariana and Cynthia saying, ‘It’s imperative you come and join us now,'” Michelle added.
Chu and Yeoh previously worked together on ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in 2018. ‘Wicked’ is a prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and has been popular on Broadway for 20 years. It tells the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), two friends at Shiz University in Oz. Madame Morrible, the school’s headmistress, is Elphaba’s mentor.
“I’m trying something new right now — filming Jon Chu’s ‘Wicked’ movie, which will be my first musical,” Yeoh said last year. “It’s very exciting, and I can’t wait for you all to see it. It was a risk, but you will never know which doors will open for you unless you try them all.”
Ariana Grande faced criticism about her voice in the role. She explained in an interview with Vanity Fair why her voice sounds lighter and softer. She revealed, “There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice.”
The singer added, “When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: ‘Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.’ And that’s just a part of the job, really. Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t.”
‘Wicked’ will hit theaters on November 22.
