Marissa Bode Says “Wicked ”Crew Asked 'Right Questions,' Built Accessible Set: 'Safe Space' to Be 'Vulnerable' (Exclusive)

"There's a way to make ... a hell of a lot of things accessible if you really want to," says the actress, who plays Nessarose in 'Wicked'

Wicked's cast and crew created an intentionally accessible environment for Marissa Bode on set so that her only job was to be the best Nessarose she could be.

The Hollywood newcomer responded to an open casting call and completed a series of auditions to become the first authentic wheelchair user to play the younger sister of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).

Bode, 24, tells PEOPLE that director Jon M. Chu and his team did such a good job listening to and anticipating her needs that she can’t recall a single disability-related challenge she faced while filming.

There was even a disability coordinator on set: Chantelle Nassari, a wheelchair user whose responsibilities included visiting sets before Bode and anticipating issues she might have navigating the space so they could be fixed before Bode even knew they existed.

“Sometimes it is hard to always be vulnerable [on camera]. And when you’re surrounded by so many people on a set, it can be difficult if you’re focusing too much on outside elements to really have that [vulnerability] as the character,” says Bode.

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She was able to access difficult emotions, she says, because Chu, 45, made sure he and the crew led with kindness, creating a “safe space” for everyone to focus on their crafts.

“I know there's a way to make, maybe not everything, but a hell of a lot of things accessible if you really want to, and if you really actually ask the right questions to disabled people,” Bode says.

The actress recalls refreshing conversations about her character's stunts, too, particularly when filmmakers were confident she could fly through the air like Nessarose will eventually do in Wicked: Part Two, rather than treating her like “a delicate little thing that is fragile.”

On set, a bespoke trailer was also built for Bode, with features including a chair lift, voice-activated doors, an accessible makeup station, an accessible kitchen and remote-controlled wardrobe rails.

Bode notes the level of accessibility on the Wicked set serves as an example of what’s possible for disabled artists in the future. It was only possible, she says, because non-disabled people educated themselves and learned what a properly inclusive work environment looks like — something Bode is hopeful that more non-disabled people will do in the future.

Related: Behind Cynthia Erivo’s Spellbinding Wicked Transformation, from Airbrushed Makeup to Stenciled Eyebrows (Exclusive)

And while she knows it’s important that she’s the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose, Bode wants it to be clear that “representation is not the only thing that will save us as disabled people.”

“We need community. We need non-disabled people to make their spaces accessible,” says the actress, adding that it’s important to teach disabled and non-disabled children about disability from a young age so they know not to judge their disabled peers.

If the world is ever to become as accessible as the Wicked set was, non-disabled people need to “put in the work to make sure that they’re being as inclusive and thoughtful of the disabled community [as possible],” Bode says.

She has some suggestions on where to start that work. True inclusion can be achieved, she says, by asking disabled people questions about what they need, listening to the answers and making the effort to understand a person’s lived experience.

“Maybe Google also,” Bode jokes. “Just take time out of your day to learn about different disabilities.”

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Resources are readily available. “Watch Crip Camp," she adds, referring to the Oscar-nominated film. "It’s an incredible documentary about the disability rights movement. It’s so well done, and it empowered me more to really advocate for myself and not feel like I’m taking up space in doing so.”

The actress also has a message for her peers, especially disabled actors who struggle to get non-disabled people to envision a more inclusive Hollywood with disabled artists in front of and behind the camera.

“You are talented,” Bode says. “Know that it’s never you. It’s never your disability — never blame your disability.”

Wicked is in theaters now.