‘Wicked’ Digital Release Interview: Director Jon M. Chu

Watch ‘Wicked‘ at home this holiday season as the box office hit, which was based on the popular Broadway musical and directed by Jon M. Chu (‘Crazy Rich Asians’), will be available to purchase or rent on Digital beginning December 31st.

The film stars Cynthia Erivo (‘Harriet’) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande-Butera (‘Don’t Look Up’) as Galinda, Jonathan Bailey (‘Bridgerton’) as Fiyero, Peter Dinklage (‘The Thicket’) as Dr. Dillamond, Michelle Yeoh (‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’) as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum (‘Thor: Ragnarok’) as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jon M. Chu about his work on ‘Wicked’, the success of the film, casting and working with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, the importance of Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth appearing in the movie, the decision to turn the musical in to two different films, and the pressure of directing the “Defying Gravity” sequence.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Wicked’

(Center L to R) Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba), Director Jon M. Chu, and Ariana Granda (as Glinda) on the set of ‘Wicked’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Moviefone: To begin with, not only is ‘Wicked’ a box office hit but it’s also become a cultural phenomenon. As a director, what is it like to see your film embraced by audiences?

Jon M. Chu: It’s blowing me away. When you’re directing, you create a shield around yourself. You must encourage everyone around you, but deep down you’re like, it could happen. Who knows? But this is beyond my imagination. There’s a reality that sets in weeks later where you’re like, “Oh wait, people really do like this.” This is just not on my feed that people are singing it, doing the choreography. It’s on ‘Saturday Night Live’. It’s like all these things. It’s a filmmaker’s dream, and I think a storyteller’s dream to witness this. So, I love that they get to own this movie beyond our little baby that now it’s theirs.

(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.

MF: Can you talk about casting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera and what they both bring to these iconic roles?

JMC: Well, we wouldn’t have made the movie if we didn’t find them. I didn’t know who they were going to be. But when Cynthia came in, it was very clear that she had more to give to the world, and the world needed to see more of her than that they had at that moment. Elphaba was the perfect character to do that, that she could really infuse a new light into Elphaba that we had never seen before. It made my job a lot easier to know that every time she sang those words, it just felt like the first time I ever heard it before. For her as a woman of color, I, as a filmmaker of color, to be able to work together and get in there and work from the inside out just gave me so many more roads of where this character could go. You’ll see that more in movie two (‘Wicked: For Good’). For Ariana, it felt like a discovery. It felt like people think they know her, but they have no idea what more she has to offer. It felt like opening a new chapter to her life. She was going through changes in her life, Cynthia was, I was. So, for all of us to join hands and make this movie and in our own little bubble and years later have the audience join us here at summer camp, I guess at Oz, it’s been beautiful to see. I hope that it encourages people also to blossom into their new self as well.

(L to R) Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth attend as Universal Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Wicked’ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, November 9, 2024. Photo: Nick Agro/ABImages.

MF: Can you talk about the importance of having Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth appear in the film?

JMC: It wasn’t just important; it was like my dream to be able to work with those two ladies. It was imperative. So, they agreed to come in. They were so generous, and so kind. We just had to find the right thing. We didn’t want just a small cameo where they walked them through a door or something. So, Steven Schwartz wrote this part in one short day where they could tell the history of the Grimmerie and of Oz and the Wizard. We have some breadcrumbs of special things that may come later that Elphaba is witnessing for the first time in this show that really helps our story make sense of some of the things that she does later. So, to me, that was the fun part. It felt that it was needed in the story. You get the fun of them, and they get to do their thing. So, it was great. What an honor to have them on set.

(L to R) Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba, Ariana Grande is Glinda and Director Jon M. Chu on the set of ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.

MF: Can you talk about making the choice to split the play into two movies?

JMC: There’s a lot in the first act of the show that needed to be unpacked. In fact, it was necessary is what we found once we got into developing the script, that without those pieces, I’m not sure an audience would buy into the dramatic changes that happen emotionally with Elphaba or Galinda. So, the room allowed us to have spaces to fill in for their characters, to develop in a pace that I think movie audiences will accept more. So, it was a hard choice at first, and we constantly kicked the tires on it, but we knew that it would give us the best opportunity to fill out these characters the way that all the fans and non-fans would want when seeing these characters.

Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked’, directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures.

MF: Finally, did you feel a lot of pressure directing the ‘Defying Gravity’ sequence?

JMC: It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life to feel that pressure of this song, and that this is the show. You better not mess this up. Then you have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing those words, which change everything. Then you’re like, well, I need to be in a closeup the whole time because I just want to be there watching her. But no, she’s flying, and we can make her fly all around us. And guess what? She’s doing her own stunts. And guess what? She’s singing live. And it’s the end of this movie, so it must feel dramatically, emotionally that it’s closing our movie down. So, all those things together, it just took every crew member, every producer, every actor, to be on the same page of what we were trying to say emotionally with this and everything. We double-checked ourselves, recut, reshot, anything we needed to do to make sure that this was the pinnacle of this movie of ‘Wicked’ itself. To see people react the way they have been, thank God. I can go to sleep now. Just for a little bit, until part two.

What’s the story of ‘Wicked’?

In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Galinda (Ariana Grande) at Shiz University, and the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Who stars in ‘Wicked’?

• Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp
• Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland
• Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible
• Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar
• Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp
• Peter Dinklage as the voice of Doctor Dillamond
• Bowen Yang as Pfannee of Phan Hall

Watch ‘Wicked’ at home this holiday season as the movie will be available to purchase or rent on December 31st on Digital.

Exclusive Bonus Features When You Purchase At Participating Retailers: 

• Sing Along – Alternate Feature-Length Version: Rejoicify, it’s your turn to sing your way through Oz! Sing-along to all of your favorite Wicked songs as you join Elphaba and Glinda on their magical journey.

Deleted And Extended Scenes:

• Pfannee & ShenShen Meet Glinda: Reunited at Shiz University, Glinda, Pfannee, and ShenShen recall their past by performing a twirling routine together.
• Shiz Gazette Introduces Fiyero: Excitement spreads across Shiz as word gets out that Prince Fiyero is on his way.
• Toss Toss: Glinda teaches Elphaba the art of Toss Toss, with mixed results.
• Elphaba & Fiyero in the Forest: The relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero takes a turn as they come to care for a lost lion cub.
• Elphaba’s Promise: Elphaba makes a pledge to Glinda that they both hope will strengthen their friendship.
• Train Platform Farewell: Glinda, Madame Morrible, and Governor Thropp gather to send Elphaba off to Emerald City.
• Boq & Elphaba Talk: Elphaba challenges Boq to face the truth about his feelings for Nessa Rose, but she has difficulty doing the same when it comes to Fiyero.
• Train Ride to Emerald City: Glinda and Elphaba expand their world by taking a luxurious train ride to Emerald City.
• In the Emerald City: The bustling streets of Emerald City take Glinda and Elphaba one step closer to finally meeting the Wizard.
• Palace Monkeys Chase: Elphaba and Glinda race through a maddening maze of winged monkeys determined to take them down.

Featurettes:

• Making Wicked – Return to Oz for a fantastic behind-the-scenes journey with this expansive look inside the characters, choreography, and creativity that make up the movie’s unforgettable world.
• Welcome To Shiz – Unlimited imagination, couture fashion, and spectacular production design come together at Shiz University, providing a place for performers and viewers to be fully immersed in the fantasy. Designed from details in L. Frank Baum’s books, the uniforms, clever contraptions, and circular sets create a sprawling campus where magic feels like an everyday occurrence.
• A Wicked Legacy –Take delight in the cast and filmmakers sharing personal memories of their first encounters with the original Broadway production, and how those lasting connections created emotional experiences while making the movie. Also highlighted are the iconic cameos that pay tribute to the cultural phenomenon that became one of the most popular musicals of all time.
• The Wonderful Wizard – Follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City for an in-depth look at the infamous Wizard of Oz. Inside the palace’s throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character’s magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard’s massive robotic head comes to life.

Commentary:

• Feature Commentary with Director Jon M. Chu
• Feature Commentary with Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Buy ‘Wicked’ On Amazon