17 Realllllly Cool "Wicked" Movie Facts That Sound Fake But Are 100% True

1.Cynthia Erivo wore prosthetic ears throughout the entire movie while playing Elphaba. Her ears are normally covered in piercings, so instead of taking them all out, she wore fitted coverings to hide everything completely.

Cynthia getting makeup applied; the same person in an acting scene; and in a studio setting, wearing ear cuffs and a chic outfit
Universal Pictures / youtube.com / NBC

2.They planted and grew 9 million tulips to be part of the landscape for Munchkinland. In the musical, Munchkins are in charge of collecting color from the tulip field, so having real patches of flowers instead of CGI'ing them in afterwards was important.

Scenes of colorful tulip fields and whimsical landscapes, with people interacting in a vivid, imaginative environment
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

3.Both Nick and Joe Jonas auditioned to play Fiyero, but the role ultimately went to Jonathan Bailey. Nick said this about his audition: "I think it went really well. I was very happy coming out of the room. I'm a huge fan of the show, and that's a role I always thought it would be fun to play. But I think Jonathan is going to do a great job."

Joe and Nick Jonas on the red carpet
Joe and Nick Jonas on the red carpet
Jonathan as Fiyero in the movie
Jonathan as Fiyero in the movie

Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images for amfAR, Warner Bros. Pictures

4.Reneé Rapp, Dove Cameron, and Amanda Seyfried all auditioned to play Glinda, but the role ultimately went to Ariana Grande.

Reneé Rapp on the red carpet
Reneé Rapp on the red carpet
Dove Cameron on the red carpet
Dove Cameron on the red carpet
Amanda Seyfried on the red carpet
Amanda Seyfried on the red carpet

Cindy Ord / Getty Images for Vanity Fair, Gilbert Flores / Billboard via Getty Images, Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images

5.It took upwards of four hours each morning to paint Cynthia's body that signature shade of green. Depending on her costume for the day and how much of her skin needed to be visible (like, if they only needed to cover her head, neck, and hands), they could get that timing down to 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Three images show Cynthia getting special effects makeup applied, transforming into a character with green skin and detailed facial features
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

6.The green "paint" also took about 45 minutes to wipe off at the end of each shoot, and they needed a special makeup remover to do it.

Two scenes: Top, Cynthia Erivo in the makeup chair as the Wicked Witch. Bottom, Cynthia in costume as the witch, smiling with hands near her chest
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

7.According to Oscar-winner Frances Hannon, the hair and makeup supervisor for Wicked, her team's hardest challenge was developing a shade of green that managed to look like skin rather than face paint. They went through multiple "green tests" to find the right shade, ultimately landing on something with a highlighter-yellow undertone because it read better on Cynthia's darker skin and also "managed to reflect the light instead of absorb it."

Two scenes: First, actors in fantasy costumes on set; second, two people sitting and talking in a room with ornate decor
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

8.Oscar-nominated costume designer Paul Tazewell also had an incredibly tough job. To prevent the green makeup from continuously staining all of Cynthia's costumes, he created a colored skin-suit and also lined Cynthia's outfits with dyed fabrics. This helped give the effect that her character was completely green without having to 1. paint her entire body, and 2. color-contaminate costumes, which would ruin the shot.

Cynthia Erivo a witch costume featuring intricate patterns. Behind-the-scenes views include a detailed bodice and an actor in costume

9.Rather than relying on CGI, a ton of practical sets were built to film the movie because they wanted to make everything feel as "immersive" as possible. Here's a closer look at what those sets actually looked like while being built, from the laying of the Yellow Brick Road to the spray-painting of the green floors.

Behind-the-scenes visuals of set construction and painting, showcasing large-scale movie or TV set design and preparation work
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

10.The movie sets also doubled as a recording studio, and that's because Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo insisted on singing live while filming, rather than relying on pre-recordings. According to Ariana, sticking to a musical track would have been too limiting and wouldn't have let them improvise or try new things. It also would have prevented more of an "emotional connection" between the characters, actors, and music. But, more importantly, they wanted to sing live "in solidarity with the women on Broadway who've done this eight shows a week."

A behind-the-scenes look at "Wicked" filming with director Jon M. Chu, featuring set designs and actors in character
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

11.And that's especially impressive when you realize that Cynthia Erivo did her own stunts. Like, she was literally flying through the air in a corset and a harness while singing, which forced her to "shift the way she breathed" in order to sing properly.

Cynthia flying through the air upside while attached to cables on set
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

12.Ariana Grande's "bubble" dress (which is worn as Glinda floats down from the sky) was a modernized interpretation of the iconic dress from The Wizard of Oz. It was originally pure pink, but the finished product ended up having rainbow undertones. Her crown is also designed as a series of circular bubbles that are stacked on top of each other. Here's a closer look:

A behind-the-scenes look at making a glamorous pink gown for Wicked featuring sketches, fabric work, and on-set scenes with actors in costume
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

13.But Elphaba's dress was actually inspired by all the patterns and textures of different mushrooms and fungi. Instead of making it completely black, they added an underlayer of purple and lace. Here's a closeup so you can really see all the details:

A person meticulously sewing fabric with delicate, wavy patterns on a dress form, showcasing craftsmanship in a workshop setting
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

14.The train that transports Elphaba and Glinda to the Emerald City is actually real. It was custom-built for the film, weighed 16 tons, and took two days to move.

Behind-the-scenes images show a film crew assembling a large, futuristic vehicle prop for a movie set on a wooden stage
Universal Pictures / youtube.com

15.The Wicked novel came out in 1995, and within a week of its release, Whoopi Goldberg tried buying the rights so she could turn it into a movie herself. Laurie Metcalf and Claire Danes were also interested at one point, too.

Whoopi Goldberg smiling while on a talk show
Whoopi Goldberg smiling while on a talk show
Laurie Metcalf on the red carpet
Laurie Metcalf on the red carpet
Claire Danes on the red carpet
Claire Danes on the red carpet

Nbc / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images, Variety / Variety via Getty Images

16.But Demi Moore ended up winning that bidding war. She and her production company secured the rights and spent a few years trying to develop the movie. They ultimately had to give up because they couldn't find a script that worked, but Marc Platt (i.e. Ben Platt's dad), who was in charge of Universal at the time, was pitched the idea of turning it into a musical. Flash-forward to 2003 when it premiered on Broadway, and it's now the second-highest-grossing show of all time, bringing in nearly $1.7 billion.

Idina Menzel nd Kristin Chenoweth performing on stage as their Wicked characters

17.And finally, the horse that Jonathan Bailey rides in Wicked is the same exact one he rode in Bridgerton. Jonathan specifically requested him (his name is Jack!), and, wow, I never thought I'd be jealous of a freaking horse.

Jonathan Bailey riding the horse on the set of Wicked
Universal Pictures / youtube.com