15 Things We Learned About Wicked From Director Jon M. Chu’s Commentary

Fans tin present peek down the curtain of Wicked with manager Jon M. Chu, acknowledgment to the integer release of the Universal Pictures philharmonic movie hit.

Wicked‘s location merchandise includes respective bonus features: deleted scenes, docu-style content, and a commentary way with stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo—as good arsenic a solo commentary with Chu. All of the extras diagnostic breathtaking tidbits astir the magic that went into making the imaginativeness of a caller Oz inspired by the Broadway musical.

Chu’s commentary successful peculiar digs into the lore inspired by The Wizard of Oz and the clip play successful which L. Frank Baum wrote the archetypal Oz stories, and Wicked‘s galore homages to the past of cinema. Here’s what we learned from listening to him talk astir the movie each the mode through.

The Wizard of Oz is an American fairytale

© Universal Pictures

In the “Dancing Through Life” creation sequence, Chu masterfully references classical Hollywood musicals portion besides conveying his affection for Baum’s caller and its spot successful American history. “It’s interesting, Wizard of Oz is specified an American fairy tale.” helium shared, besides nodding to the 1939 movie arsenic well. “It was written astatine the clip of American transition, leaving the Depression, going into war. It benignant of deals with the American dream, and I emotion that we get to reinvestigate the American imagination in Wicked done a caller perspective. And truthful we effort to instrumentality from images of Americana successful presumption of travel, from the puddle, to horseback, to boat, to a road, to a train, to flight, and however that changes our past and our trajectory.” Watch closely, and you’ll spot determination are connective threads from the film’s witch chapeau opening connected the puddle to the infinitesimal Elphaba takes formation successful the last act.

The Flying Monkeys are Universal Monsters

“You cognize erstwhile we deliberation astir the flying monkeys, we often comparison them to 1 of the galore characters successful the monster beingness of Universal,” Chu says aboriginal successful the commentary. “And truthful portraying them successful the astir carnal and touchable, existent mode was thing that we truly wanted to do.”

Later, alongside the last act, helium describes the carnal diagnostic infinitesimal of their creation, “We get to bash our classical Universal Monster moment, the instauration of the flying monkeys. We privation to instrumentality our clip successful this, that it was achy and that their hairsbreadth was turning into feathers arsenic well. It’s similar Frankenstein waking up. Even the shadiness changeable is simply a motion to those benignant of things [the] American tales that we get to reinvestigate. And I emotion that it’s portion triumph arsenic well. You tin perceive the euphony really gets victorious. So it’s like, whose position are we [watching] from? And adjacent Elphaba present connected this shot, we don’t know—is it astonishing that she did thism oregon not? And past things commencement to autumn apart.”

In the Heights almost had a transportation to Wicked

The events of the movie footwear into enactment erstwhile Glinda is asked 1 precise important question. A question that was astir asked by a predominant collaborator of Chu’s. “When that pistillate says, ‘Glinda, is it existent you were her friend?’— I got galore calls from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who mightiness person publically besides tweeted it that helium wanted to beryllium that dependable and that person, but I thought it would beryllium excessively distracting,” helium admitted. “So, atrocious Lin.”

“The Wizard and I”

Elphaba’s “I want” information successful Wicked is complicated. She doesn’t actively privation she was different colour too green, Chu explained—it’s conscionable everyone’s telling her that she shouldn’t beryllium green, and that sparks her self-doubt. “The Wizard and I” philharmonic number, Chu says, is erstwhile she realizes “No, you cognize what? I’m bully with being green.”

The kaleidoscope solid series added to that feeling. “I emotion that the light’s successful there. And she tin conscionable imagination of what it would beryllium similar if she wasn’t successful her skin. Again, this volition each travel backmost later. When the wizard asks her, ‘Is that your heart’s desire? You don’t person to beryllium green.’ And she really sacrifices her ain wishes oregon imaginable wishes for the goodness of the animals. And I deliberation that shows a batch of the benignant of idiosyncratic she is and who we truly privation to get across. So this fig is precise important.”

Chu continues. “It’s the antithesis to ‘Defying Gravity,’ wherever she has the anticipation of flight. She has the anticipation of taking it off, but she’s not acceptable yet. We’ve established that she does person visions here, that there’s a solemnisation passim Oz that has to bash with her. She conscionable doesn’t cognize the context. But we’ve really already seen it. And whether the assemblage picks it up oregon not, I’m not sure. But we’ll get it by the 2nd movie.”

Yes, that’s a novelty opus homage successful “What Is this Feeling?”

© Universal Pictures

To Chu, Elphaba and Glinda rooming unneurotic and clashing represents the puzzle of Oz represented by the 2 of them: “Elphaba, she comes successful and you spot sharper edges. She’s the Z successful Oz, and Glinda is the O. So these 2 things volition collide visually.” The mode helium depicted this involves a amusive homage. “I emotion this due to the fact that it ever reminded maine of ‘Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,’ this celebrated fig of campers penning to their parents astatine home. So I emotion the thought of being capable to divided surface present and play astir with the form.”

Why isn’t that opus called “Loathing”?

The dichotomy of the powerfulness betwixt Elphaba and Glinda is intelligibly presented successful this scene. While Elphaba is the 1 with the disposable potential, Glinda’s powerfulness is her popularity, Chu explains. “Actually, it’s precise almighty to cognize however to pass and however to person everybody of something. Her powerfulness volition travel later, but arsenic amusive arsenic it is to deliberation astir loathing and roommates loathing, it really has a large thematic taxable for us. And I emotion the information that adjacent though Glinda tin triumph each societal situation, the 1 happening she wants to person magic and beryllium accepted by Morrible is the happening that Elphaba has.”

The song, helium continues, is “called ‘What is this Feeling?’ and radical deliberation it’s called Loathing’—but really it’s not loathing astatine each that is happening betwixt them. We ever say, ‘We ever defy the radical who are going to alteration the remainder of our beingness due to the fact that nary 1 wants to change. So, it’s not adjacent needfully loathing, it’s conscionable this idiosyncratic is going to alteration the remainder of my life.’ You don’t privation that, truthful it’s comic to spot that, due to the fact that they will.”

Elphie and Fiyero’s wood meet-cute

Chu besides teased a precise important narration successful Wicked: For Good betwixt Elphaba and Fiyero. As seen successful the movie, the brace really meets earlier Glinda meets Fiyero. “We don’t get into their afloat narration with this movie, truthful again, these are conscionable breadcrumbs that we’re starring the assemblage precise slowly,” the manager says. “Sometimes it’s hard, you know, what you privation to program to wage disconnected aboriginal that doesn’t spell into afloat fruition into this movie. But successful a weird way, this movie is astir possibilities and choices. And that by the end, Elphaba makes a large choice, and determination are a batch of possibilities for wherever that prime tin go. And movie 2 is much of the effect of immoderate of those.”

The Wicked Witch of the West’s hat

© Universal Pictures

A narration astir arsenic important arsenic the 1 betwixt Galinda and Elphaba that’s acceptable up successful this movie is the narration Elphie makes with her achromatic pointy hat. Chu talks astir the infinitesimal Galinda considers gifting it to Elphaba arsenic a gag enabled by Pfannee and ShenShen.

“I emotion this infinitesimal due to the fact that it could beryllium constricted successful galore antithetic ways, but Glinda really isn’t a atrocious idiosyncratic here. She is being pushed by Pfannee and ShenShen to springiness her the hat, and by seeing the book, the sorcery book, that Elphaba brings in, it benignant of pushes her adjacent much to springiness her the hat. It’s a precise delicate infinitesimal due to the fact that we don’t privation Glinda to beryllium mean, and she’s not. She’s conscionable young and she’s being pressured.”

When her roommate gives her the hat, Elphaba’s astir apt alert of the joke—but there’s besides thing astir it that speaks to her. “I emotion that Elphaba doesn’t person a large absorption to the chapeau of benignant of like, ‘What the heck is that?’ Instead she’s really drawn to the chapeau and that it really has an absorbing connection. That it isn’t conscionable circular, that it has the borderline to it. That these 2 volition beryllium bonded for each clip arsenic a awesome and arsenic a spouse successful this travel that she’s astir to spell on. She doesn’t adjacent cognize it yet. And erstwhile she tilts her caput present arsenic she looks astatine it, I emotion that infinitesimal due to the fact that it felt similar she and the chapeau were one.”

A sister’s brace of shiny shoes

One of the amusive Easter eggs from the movie is Nessarose’s shoes, a aboriginal iconic entity successful the realm of Oz lore. “If you look astatine the crystal shoes, it’s designed to look similar 2 tornadoes, oregon a tornado connected each heel. And it’s beautiful,” Chu points out. The shoes were made distinctive for this iteration of the story, which goes backmost to the archetypal book’s crystal pair; the famed ruby slippers were created for the Judy Garland picture. “I don’t adjacent cognize however it fits oregon if it’s adjacent comfortable, due to the fact that it doesn’t look precise comfortable. I’ve ne'er tried it on, but it’s beautiful,” helium says of the intricate, unsocial design.

The Ozdust duet

© Universal Pictures

In the Broadway musical, it’s a gag erstwhile Elphie dances similar she doesn’t attraction what anyone other thinks. But for the film, Chu wanted to play the country a antithetic way. “[It was] overmuch much important to america successful this communicative that we inactive felt the hurt. That adjacent though she doesn’t cognize what to do, she’s conscionable making abstraction for herself—and adjacent if making abstraction for herself is humiliating and hard, that she conscionable knows that she has to bash it. Some radical accidental it looks similar she’s casting a spell oregon something, and possibly she is, implicit her ain aforesaid and telling herself that she conscionable has to beryllium present And it’s defiant but not excessively defiant,” helium says, praising Erivo’s mentation of the moment. “Defiant like, ‘I’m present adjacent if it feels similar the worst happening successful my life.’ Because if we gave her excessively overmuch of a defiant infinitesimal similar ‘I’m present and you person to woody with it and I’m amended than you,’ it wouldn’t play arsenic strong.”

Galinda/Glinda is changed for good

In the duet we besides get different immense moment. “We spot Glinda blossoming successful this infinitesimal and [Ariana Grande] is doing an astonishing occupation of playing this enactment due to the fact that up to this constituent she’s fundamentally played a comedic quality with a small hints of Intelligence and sensitivity. But present she takes disconnected the disguise afloat and you tin spot it successful her eyes. I mean, this is not an casual country by immoderate means,” Chu shares astir the infinitesimal Grande and Erivo marque their transportation done touch.

“In those 2 hands touching, which volition beryllium a awesome for the remainder of the movie each clip they touch, this is the bosom of the movie. I knew erstwhile I saw this successful rehearsal and started to weep uncontrollably aft watching them bash it [that] this is what the movie would beryllium about—this narration and coming to spot each different astatine their bare bones. And past the 2 of them could beryllium bonded for beingness to beryllium against the world.” This nationalist show of allyship, helium explains, provides a abstraction to spot however they tin to animate a young procreation of Ozians to witnesses the powerfulness of acceptance. It besides “shows the unlimited possibilities of what the aboriginal of Oz could be—and yet they volition beryllium influenced by the propaganda of the wizard and Madame Morrible” aboriginal connected successful portion two.

Ariana Grande made “Popular” her own

Since “bringing the emotion much to the Ozdust creation betwixt the 2 of them” meant the relationship is forged much there, helium didn’t privation to suffer its interaction by continuing the seriousness successful “Popular.” This allowed Ariana Grande to marque “Popular” her own, down to the extended la-la-la-lahs.

“This caller ending to ‘Popular,’ we weren’t definite if we wanted to bash an extended ending of it,” the manager explains. “But erstwhile I saw that hallway, her successful the mediate of that hallway with the pinkish greeting airy coming through—[that] if Ari could bash it each successful 1 changeable and amusement however skilled she is astatine being Galinda, I deliberation this hallway that it would beryllium an instant classic. And truthful we popped this successful past infinitesimal and she learned that choreography astatine the past second. And each clip she did it, everyone’s grin was connected their face. I mean that was a tour-de-force to spot her. Ariana Grande astatine her highest Galinda, owning that abstraction … that silhouette, that iconic infinitesimal is benignant of solidified successful my encephalon forever. I anticipation the assemblage feels that too.”

The OG Broadway cameos

© Universal Pictures

The starring women of the Ozdust players, of course, had to beryllium played by the archetypal Glinda and Elphaba: Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Chu knew this precise well. “They’re playing the omniscient women, telling the past of Oz and however the Grimmerie came to be, and that they utilized to beryllium the lone radical capable to work the Grimmerie, but determination was a prophecy of a caller idiosyncratic that would beryllium yet capable to work it erstwhile they pass,” Chu explains. “We find retired aboriginal that it’s going to beryllium Elphaba, but we tried to acceptable up that past here. Whether radical are really listening oregon not, I person nary idea, but we had to acceptable up what the Grimmerie was and conscionable to person them bash it, it’s conscionable truthful fun.”

He recalls however secretive the sprout had to be. “It was the mediate of the night, and I deliberation they, to spot this elephantine acceptable that we had built for a movie of a bequest that they built, these characters that they built from the crushed up was a beauteous happening for them to see. We were all, again, each successful tears each the time, and that Idina gets to bash her iconic warfare outcry and aforesaid happening with Kristin. She gets to bash her soprano, truthful fun.”

The Wizard was inspired by Walt Disney

Chu had a blast creating the wizard with histrion Jeff Goldblum, who did things similar “magic and showing them small tricks and pat dancing and stuff.” He continued to picture however they came up with this mentation of definite benignant of “man of tomorrow.”

Chu explains, “This thought of the eventual storyteller was thing that we talked a batch about. How acold would you spell to delight people? Even if it takes you to a spot of this enactment and unit and hatred oregon fearfulness marque things much entertaining. And what are you going to compromise for that? So mounting him up arsenic a playful Peter Pan-like character, Walt Disney-ish benignant character. It’s benignant of a privation fulfillment that we’re each capable to bash together.”

Even the Wizard’s Oz diorama felt precise World’s Fair oregon aboriginal Disneyland model. “And what would you privation much than thing than Walt Disney to locomotion you into his similar representation of Disney? So I emotion this infinitesimal that helium gets to contiguous to them. That’s what his thoughts volition look like: Wish fulfillment. Pull them into his sandbox. He really says ‘Come into my sandbox’ and ‘Play with my toys,’ that’s thing I ever privation I had. And that benignant of taps into a puerility phantasy of idiosyncratic that you privation to afloat trust.” And astir apt shouldn’t.

Wicked is similar a Marvel philharmonic movie

© Universal Pictures

Thankfully not similar Rogers: The Musical from Hawkeye—but with the enactment and large acceptable pieces, Chu says Wicked is “like a Marvel movie” positive “musical phantasy [and] coming of age. We kept saying this is the craziest movie we’ve ever made—how tin a genre person each of these things and positive beryllium a musical? I don’t deliberation we’ve had acquisition similar this before.”

He explains however each these elements had to travel unneurotic successful the last act, with “Defying Gravity” mounting up the adjacent film. We spot the alarms being raised against Elphaba and reactions from the different characters: the disappointment successful “Nessa [as their] begetter has a bosom attack. And Glinda is benignant of relieved of the information by Madame Moribble, [who is] going to instrumentality her nether her wing, and however analyzable that is for her. I deliberation that infinitesimal is truly hard. And Ariana conscionable plays it perfectly, and past we spot Fiyero flying out. We don’t cognize wherever he’s going to. Who is helium going to? And past of people Cynthia flying successful and her declaration menace to the wizard.”

In this sequence, the signifier is being acceptable for the story’s adjacent act—even Boq stands unsocial successful a Shiz overtaken by disarray. “I emotion this moment, I emotion this shot. Everyone’s singing. It conscionable builds and builds,” Chu says, and adds however it each comes to a caput with Elphaba’s warfare cry. “[Erivo] was singing it unrecorded connected her rig. We’re spinning her astir and she was like, ‘I request to bash this live. Let maine bash it.’ And each clip she did this note, our full unit would conscionable effort to clasp backmost our applause and yelling until she finished the note. And past it was conscionable axenic applause, similar lasting ovation successful the room. She’s connected the wire. Now she astir apt has tears successful her eyes usually doing it. And past to beryllium capable to extremity connected this, her last takeoff.”

Wicked is present retired successful theaters and connected digital; Wicked: For Good continues the communicative this Thanksgiving.

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