How the ‘Wicked’ Ensemble Defied Gravity & Earned That SAG Nomination

As we prepare for the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards, Backstage is breaking down this year’s film and television ensemble nominees for your consideration. 

Main cast: Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh
Casting by: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
Directed By: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman
Distributed by: Universal Pictures

In the 21 YEARS since Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s “Wicked” debuted on Broadway, its main characters have become icons. And though many actors have played Elphaba and Galinda since then, every one of them lives in the shadow of the original Tony-winning stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

So a lot was riding on Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey’s choice of leads for Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited movie adaptation. They succeeded brilliantly when they tapped Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to play the two witches at the center of the tale. Their performances honor what came before while breathing new life into the characters we know and love.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 fantasy novel, this clever “Wizard of Oz” prequel tells the story of a pair of unlikely friends who become nemeses when fate and politics tear them apart.

Erivo, who has a Tony win (for “The Color Purple”) and two Oscar nominations (for “Harriet”) under her belt, burrows deep to find the soul of the green-skinned Elphaba; her innately graceful performance is anchored in both heartbreak and hope. We all know she has a great singing voice, but it’s extraordinary to watch her use it to express the pain and defiance of this bullied outsider. Erivo exemplifies these qualities when Elphaba turns a humiliating moment into a joyful dance, her schoolmates looking on with a mix of horror and surprise. 

Erivo’s sensitive take makes her the perfect counterpart to Grande’s Galinda, who starts out as Elphaba’s tormenter who quickly becomes her closest friend. Though she’s best known for her music career, the pop star got her big break in the 2008 Broadway musical “13”—and she more than holds her own opposite her Tony-winning costar. 

Grande is a wonder at physical comedy, precisely contorting her body to maximum comedic effect. But she’s equally impressive when she taps into Galinda’s desperation as she struggles with the knowledge that she’ll never be as talented as her friend. 

But these two aren’t the only talented performers in the merry old land of Oz. Six years after they collaborated on “Crazy Rich Asians,” Michelle Yeoh reunites with Chu to play another fabulous, highly critical lady: Madame Morrible, a teacher at Shiz who takes a special interest in Elphaba. Ethan Slater brings a sweet nervousness to Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin student with a crush on Galinda who winds up in a relationship with Elphaba’s timid sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode). Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James round out the student body as Galinda’s sniping BFFs Pfannee and Shenshen. 

Jonathan Bailey arrives midway through the film to shake things up in the role of Fiyero Tigelaar, a smoldering prince whom Galinda immediately decides she wants to marry. The “Bridgerton” star turns his charm all the way up in the sweeping musical number “Dancing Through Life.” Speaking of charm, Jeff Goldblum has it in spades as the Wizard, who entertains Elphaba and Galinda when they arrive in the Emerald City. 

It’s obvious that these actors come to the film from a place of love and reverence for its source material, as well as an eagerness to prove there’s more than one way to make magic in Oz.