Additional Coverage:
- ‘Wicked: For Good’ director Jon M. Chu on breaking set pieces, casting Dorothy, and the shot Universal wasn’t allowed to see (businessinsider.com)
Director Jon M. Chu Pulls Back the Curtain on “Wicked: For Good” – Revealing Hidden Details, Secret Cameos, and That Iconic Final Shot!
Oz-some news, movie buffs! After four years immersed in the magical land of Oz, director Jon M.
Chu is finally ready to dish on all the behind-the-scenes secrets of “Wicked: For Good.” The highly anticipated sequel, which just hit theaters, wraps up the cinematic journey of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), aiming to capture the heart of the beloved Broadway musical.
Chu, who shot “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” simultaneously, faced the challenge of blending Act II of the stage show with fresh elements like new songs and character-deepening flashbacks. “Wicked: For Good” launches with Elphaba on a mission to expose the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) as a fraud, while Glinda grapples with her newfound fame and her unwavering friendship with Elphaba. All of this builds to the dramatic, albeit silhouetted, appearance of Dorothy.
Now that the movie is out, Chu is spilling the tea on everything from guiding Ariana Grande’s standout performance to how a rehearsal discovery led to one of the film’s most dramatic moments. Get ready for some major spoilers!
Making Elphaba a Badass, Casting Dorothy, and Sliding into Colman Domingo’s DMs
Business Insider: “Wicked: For Good” kicks off with a scene not found in the musical: Elphaba rescuing animals building the Yellow Brick Road. What inspired that opening?
Jon M. Chu: “I’m a huge fan of Tim Burton’s ‘Batman,’ so I love a good cold open.
I also wanted to show that the iconic Yellow Brick Road didn’t just appear; it had to be built, and the process was ‘poisoned.’ It was important to portray Elphaba as this badass, on her own mission to free the animals and expose the truth.”
Business Insider: Several key characters from “The Wizard of Oz” pop up, but Dorothy is mostly shown in long shots, silhouettes, or just her feet. Was it tempting to show her face?
Jon M. Chu: “We definitely had chances to show more, and we even filmed some options where you could see her face.
But our intention from the start was to keep her face hidden. Was I 100% sure?
Not always, so we explored alternatives, but every time, showing her face was a distraction. We always reminded ourselves of a core principle from the stage show: ‘It’s about the girls!’
Anything that pulled focus to ‘What does Dorothy think?’ we steered away from.”
Business Insider: Even with limited screen time, was it still a rigorous audition process to cast Dorothy?
Jon M. Chu: “Absolutely!
During auditions, we’d put up a sheet to evaluate the performer’s silhouette. I was looking at their walk, and if I could guide them in that way.
We needed youthful energy, so we ultimately cast a dancer.”
Business Insider: What’s the dancer’s name?
Jon M. Chu: “Bethany Weaver.”
Business Insider: We also get a fantastic cameo from Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion. How did that come about?
Jon M. Chu: “We had an incredible team of movement actors playing the animals on set, but we always planned to replace their voices.
Earlier this year, as we were cutting the movie, we needed that voice to really make the scenes work. I had a list of names, but I kept seeing Colman on the awards circuit, and I just felt he’d be perfect and really fun.
So, I DMed him on Instagram-I don’t even have his phone number! I said, ‘Hey Colman, I know we’ve met a couple of times, but there’s this role of the Cowardly Lion.
It doesn’t have many lines, and it’s not a huge paycheck, but it could be iconic.’ And he responded with, ‘Why the f*** not.’
So, we did it!”
Business Insider: How long did he work on the movie?
Jon M. Chu: “He came in for a day, and we had a blast.
I didn’t have a specific idea for the character’s voice; it was very collaborative. I told him, ‘I’m not going to tell you anything, let’s just do the scene.’
We did it over and over until we found it.”
Staging That Elphaba/Glinda Fight and Chu’s Favorite Set Piece
Business Insider: The scene where Elphaba and Glinda have their argument on the Yellow Brick Road after the tornado is a highlight. It balances the movie’s deeper tone with playful moments, showing their enduring friendship. How did you develop that sequence?
Jon M. Chu: “That scene is truly the core of our movie in terms of how challenging and technical it was for these two women to navigate our tone.
I never called the movie ‘darker’; I called it ‘deeper.’ I believe the true power of the musical isn’t just the song and dance razzle-dazzle.
When done right, it gives you access to their inner thoughts, allowing for a closer, more intimate look at the characters’ emotions.
“So, for this moment, even with the song and dance, we had permission to get closer to them because of the journey we’d taken. Yes, you get the nod to the tornado, the falling house, Dorothy – the fun elements are there.
But if you really watch Ariana Grande’s face, especially when she turns, it becomes incredibly personal for her. Nessarose was someone she knew who ‘turned wicked’ and passed away, and Glinda wonders if it was her fault.
But she can’t show that. Then Elphaba enters, and they’re both mourning Nessarose.
The scene then transitions from a real fight to jokes.
“There was a point where I worried the fight wouldn’t work in the movie. The jokes about the ‘farm girl’ and the ‘house falling on you’ are funny in the show, but they hit harder in the movie.
And then the slap happens. We kept it all in because we realized the only way these two can truly communicate is by fighting, just like they did as kids.
So, even though it’s a fight, it’s a profound connecting point for them.”
Business Insider: What’s your favorite set piece in “Wicked: For Good”? One you feel you absolutely nailed.
Jon M. Chu: “I’d say the ‘For Good’ musical number.
The restraint both girls earned throughout both movies to deliver ‘For Good’ – not going for a big, flashy ending, but making it so intimate. Ultimately, the movie is about giving them the steering wheel, letting them earn that moment.
To me, that was one of my proudest moments. We even revisit ‘Defying Gravity’ in the middle of ‘For Good,’ which could have been a big no-no – and believe me, we had endless conversations and debates about it – but because it comes from a place of Elphaba’s strength, it allows us to go there.”
Business Insider: And then you had to perfectly set up Dorothy’s entrance to “destroy” Elphaba.
Jon M. Chu: “I think that scene is the most emotional turning point of the movie.
The shot of Elphaba outside the closet and Glinda inside it wasn’t scripted; they did that in rehearsals. I was weeping when I saw them do that.
I knew I had to find a way to put it in the movie.
“It came from truly understanding the characters and their journey, and then taking a gamble that it would work. Even when we shot it, the shot of the door between them, I had to remove a wall to get it.
The production designers were freaking out because once that wall is gone, that set is essentially unusable for further shooting. We couldn’t go back to it.
But I was like, ‘Screw it, it’s worth it. This is the moment.’
We had to dive into the unknown, trusting our instincts.”
Tweaking the Wicked Witch’s Demise and Hiding the Movie’s Final Shot from Universal
Business Insider: Talk about the POV shot of Glinda inside the closet, witnessing Elphaba’s demise. How did that come about?
Jon M. Chu: “We storyboarded it, but I never stick to storyboards rigidly.
It ended up being quite different. When you have Ariana and Cynthia truly embodying these characters, you have to listen to what the movie is telling you.
The stage show uses the Dorothy silhouette for Elphaba’s melting, which I always thought was brilliant. We know the melting, but seeing it through a new perspective, actually entering the closet Glinda is hiding in, plays the whole scene differently.
“Even the close-up of Dorothy’s feet afterward, she looks like a villain. We actually, for a time, had her dancing around, taking the broomstick, and celebrating. It was a little too much.”
Business Insider: Was it always the plan for the movie’s final shot to be an homage to the musical’s iconic poster?
Jon M. Chu: “Yes.
It was always the plan. I was always going to end on the whisper.
“Do you know how hard it was to force Universal to never use it in any marketing material? [Laughs.]
They even had a poster of it for the first movie, and I was like, ‘Why are we releasing this poster? We should never acknowledge the whisper.
Never. Never.’
I wanted it to feel like we didn’t care about it, then suddenly it’s the last shot in ‘For Good.’ So the studio never saw that final shot.
I imposed a huge thing: ‘Do not show this shot!’ They wanted it so badly.
“That poster is one of the most brilliant posters ever made. You don’t know what Glinda’s saying, because they never actually do that in the musical.
But it’s sort of the key to friendship. That we have these secrets.
And the girls got to choose what they are actually saying in the scene. I don’t even know what they said.”