A two-part film adaptation of Broadway smash hit Wicked is currently in production, and Cynthia Erivo, the talented actress going on Elphaba’s journey in becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, is hyping up the movie from the set. Straight from Oz alongside the Wicked cast, Erivo wrote a sweet message to fans excited for the Wicked movies about the emotions that have coursed through her as she plays the beloved role.
The Wicked movies have been filming since late 2022, and Cynthia Erivo admitted that although she’s said “very little” about her experience playing Elphaba, it’s only because it’s been hard for her to put the experience into words. As the actress shared that she continues to keep her “head down” and mine the “beautifully complex being” that is the Wicked Witch, she wrote the following words:
It is day 111 and yesterday we finished filming “I’m Not That Girl” when we had come to the end of that moment, my heart broke open and tears fell. (Please know this happens OFTEN) I thought of us, the ones who often feel like they’re on the outside. The ones who don’t know that their differences, oddities, quirks are what make them beautiful and special. The ones who, for some reason, believe they can’t be loved and I felt proud to sing a song that might speak to those feelings.
“I’m Not That Girl” is a memorable solo from Elphaba from the Broadway musical where she laments over her love for Fiyero, set to be played by Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, one that she believes can never be due to her being a green-skinned outcast at her school. Erivo also said this:
I am endlessly grateful to play a role that turns the notion of what beauty is on its head, I am endlessly grateful to be working with some of the most beautiful souls on the planet and I’m already grieving for the day our little bubble must come to an end. I desperately hope that when you finally see this film, you’ll see you, you’ll see me, you’ll see Jon and Ari and our hearts laid bare, you’ll see pain and joy and maybe just maybe you’ll see a little spark of light that says, you are who you are for a reason and you are deserving of happiness and even though sometimes it might be hard to find, it is there for the taking.
The song is gorgeously reprised in the second act of Wicked when Glinda, set to be played by Ariana Grande, takes part in a reprise of the song. Glinda, who Elphaba was jealous of and was “that girl” in her eyes ,singing the same song when the tables turn as the story unfolds goes to show that we can all have those moments, no matter our status, of not feeling like enough. Erivo shared those words on Instagram alongside a photo of her hand over one Wicked script.
Given the image of Erivo’s hands over a script titled Wicked: Part Two - For Good, it appears the production has gotten to the point where the cast and crew have moved on and are shooting scenes for the second half of the story. Erivo sounds like she’s getting excited for audiences to experience the Wicked movies as she shared hopes for them to “get a healing” regarding the themes of the story when we finally can enjoy the movies in theaters. You can check out first looks of Elphaba and Glinda, previously revealed during CinemaCon.
Wicked: Part One is among the 2024 movies to look forward to, with the release date being November 27. The Wicked Witch of the West origin story will continue with its second part coming out in December 2025. We absolutely cannot wait for the Wicked movies to make tears fall for us as well once they are good and ready to be seen.
