Where have I seen the cast of Wicked before?

Long before they walked down the yellow brick road, this cast were in biopics, Nickelodeon shows and Jurassic Park

BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

It’s finally time to try defying gravity! Wicked is in cinemas now and we couldn’t be more excited. Even if you’re not a musical theatre fan, there are plenty of familiar faces in this film. Here’s our run down of where you may have seen the cast before…

Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba)

Before she took on the Wicked Witch of the West, Cynthia Erivo dazzled theatre goers with her incredible voice. On stage, she may be one of the biggest successes to come out of the UK, landing major roles in Sister Act and The Colour Purple. 

Off the stage, she’s transferred her success effortlessly to the screen. From Darlene Sweet, a Vegas-bound singer in Bad Times At The El Royale, to the incredible Harriet Tubman in a biopic of the trailblazer’s life, Cynthia has a range to be admired. 

Ariana Grande (Glinda)

Many auditioned to play Elphaba’s best friend, Glinda, but the role was ultimately won by child star turned pop sensation Ariana Grande. It’s hard not to have heard of Ariana before. From her time on Nickelodeon show Victorious to a seven album music career, she has become a household name. 

Ariana has also been an advocate for many causes, even before she came to fame. Aged 10, she co-founded the South Florida singing group Kids Who Care, with whom she raised over $500,000 for charity in 2007. She’s continued to fight for LGBTQIA rights via charity singles and her own fund called Protect & Defend Trans Youth. 

Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero)

In Wicked, he’s dancing through life. But more people may know Jonathan Bailey for being the head of the Bridgerton family in Netflix’s rompy period drama. As Anthony, Jonathan spent the first season ensuring a good marriage for his sister Daphne, the second securing his own marriage and the third seeing both his brother Colin and sister Francesca find love. We can’t wait to see what happens with Francesca’s sapphic love interest in season four!

Marissa Bode (Nessarose)

The future Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose, is played by Marissa Bode. She is the first actor in a wheelchair to play the character, despite her disability being so key to Nessarose’s character. 

Before she was in Wicked, Marissa was in a few shorts, including You’re Adorable, which she wrote herself. She was also featured in our Oct/Nov issue!

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Bronwyn James (ShenShen)

ShenShen is one of Glinda’s friends at Shiz University. She wasn’t in the stage show but had a big role in the book. In Wicked, she’s being played by Bronwyn James. 

Bronwyn has previously been in Netflix’s The Dig, episodes of Call The Midwife, Outlander, Ghosts and so much more. But her biggest role may be as Fanny Lambert in the gloriously queer period drama Harlots. We interviewed Bronwyn about Wicked for our Dec/Jan print issue!

Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible)

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh is a force to be reckoned with. She’s been in so many films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, A Haunting In Venice and Everything, Everywhere All At Once. For the final film, she won Best Actress at the Oscars, becoming the first Asian woman to do so. 

Michelle has devoted a lot of time to activism as well. She has raised money for HIV/AIDS relief programmes, gender equality campaigns and poverty reduction. She has also spoken at the UN General Assembly on behalf of many of the causes she fights for. 

Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard)

Jeff Goldblum has been in so many blockbusters including Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, Independence Day and Thor: Ragnarok. Most recently, he’s played Zeus in Netflix’s Kaos, a modern day retelling of several Greek myths. 

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