Jon M. Chu reveals he originally sought non-famous actors to lead 'Wicked'

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The highly anticipated film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked” almost had different lead actors if director Jon M. Chu had his way. In a recent interview with SFX magazine, Chu revealed he initially wanted to cast “no-namers” for Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and Glinda the Good Witch, roles that eventually went to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, respectively.

• What he’s saying: Chu told SFX that he wanted to come into “Wicked” with a “very clean slate.” “It’s a big enough property on its own, so we can discover two people. I was like, 'We're gonna find no-namers,'” he said. However, things changed when auditions began, and after seeing many great actors, the production realized they needed to cast “two people who were meant to do this role, for this particular movie at this particular time.” Highlighting how important the songs and emotions are for “Wicked,” the “Crazy Rich Asians” director shared that the perfect person they were looking for was someone who can “get into song and out of song so easily that it's like butter, like you don't even notice it.” He added, “That means having good chops in their skill set."

• Catch up: Ahead of the Nov. 22 premiere date for “Wicked,” the American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced on Oct. 28 that Chu is set to receive the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award. The award, which “recognizes an artist who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film,” will be presented to the director at the 75th annual ACE Eddie Awards to be held at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Royce Hall on Jan. 18, 2025. Other recipients of the award include film editors Maysie Hoy and Paul Hirsch.

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