Top 10 Fun Facts About Wicked

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The movie WICKED has taken the world by storm. This magical movie is no longer just a dream come true for a theater kid to see it come on the big screen. It has transcended to capturing the interests of movie fans who have genuinely been surprised by how enjoyable it was. 

Wicked was a stage musical that was loosely based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. The story was focused on the Wicked Witch of the West and her subsequent friendship with Glinda the Good Witch. 

The novel gives a dark outlook of the Land of Oz which is rife with tension and politics. The stage musical told the story through Glinda and Elphaba’s perspectives while including some popular musical numbers that are repeated in the movie. 

The movie Wicked has been in the news for a long time and it comes as no surprise that it has worked its magic at the box office. 

Starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey, Wicked is one of those movies you will not want to miss watching. 

Here is the TOP 10 Trivia about Wicked

1) This will not be the only Wicked movie

The movie is broken into two parts with the second one releasing in November 2025. The first part has a running time of 160 minutes, which some critics have complained as being too long for a musical.

There are rumors that the Wicked universe may be expanded beyond these two movies. While it may not be a sequel, there may be spin-offs being planned. 

2) Ariana Grande wasn't the only choice for Glinda

Before Ariana Grande was cast, Renee Rap, Dove Cameron, and even Amanda Seyfried auditioned for the role. Surprisingly, although Ariana Grande had always wanted to play the role of Glinda in Wicked, due to a miscommunication, she came to audition for the role of Elphaba. 

The director, Jon M. Chu advised her to try out for Glinda and also remove all her makeup for the next audition. Ariana Grande, determined to win the role, came without makeup and later booked the part of Glinda. 

3) Cynthia Erivo was almost not Elphaba

Lady Gaga was almost Elphaba. For a long time, there were reports that Lady Gaga would be playing Elphaba. However, things didn’t work out and the deal went through. Soon enough Cynthia Erivo booked the role as Elphaba. 

4) There were several contenders for the role of Fiyero

Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, and Shawn Mendes were among those celebrities who auditioned for the role of Fiyero before it went to Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey. 

5) You may have seen that horse before

The horse Fiyero rides in, is the same that was used in Bridgerton. Turns out, Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, in the show, used the same horse, called Jack, in Wicked as well. Apparently, he had bonded with the horse. 

6) The tulips were real

Close to nine million tulips were planted to serve as a landscape for Munchkinland. Those nine tulips are apparently not destroyed. The production designer, Nathan Crowley, found a tulip farmer, Mark Eves, to plant nine million tulips. 

After production ended, the flowers were chopped off, and their bulbs were left to grow bigger until the next season when they would be eventually kept in a greenhouse so that the flowers could grow once more. 

7) The singing was live

Both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo insisted they sing live. Director Jon M. Chu wanted pre-recorded songs since he believed that during the taping, the wind would get into their air pipes while performing difficult scenes. However, both actresses maintained that they would pull it off. And they did!

8) Real sets were built instead of using screens

Sets were built instead of using blue and green screens. Apparently, practical sets were built and supplemented with CGI because the director wanted the world of Oz to feel like a real place rather than a computer-generated place. 

9) It isn't easy being Elphaba

Cynthia Erivo had the most challenging time with makeup. She had to wear prosthetic ears because she had piercings. Her body had to be painted a shade of green that took some time to get right because it had to look like skin color instead of body paint. That signature green shade took four hours to put on the actress and then forty-five minutes to remove. 

10) You may have seen these easter eggs

There are several allusions to The Wizard of Oz. In the beginning, there is a shot of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion, walking along the yellow brick road. 

Then there is the quick glimpse of red sparkly shoes used in the song POPULAR that may or may not be the red ruby slippers from the book. 

There is a lion cub brought in class that Elphaba and Fiyero save which may be the very same lion that Dorothy meets. The cub was very timid after all. 

When Elphaba accidentally puts a sleeping spell on the entire class using Poppy flowers, it doesn’t work on Fiyero, hinting that he may turn into the Scarecrow at some point. 

In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man are the only ones who are immune to the poppy flowers in the field that put Dorothy to sleep. 

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