The ‘Wicked’ movie director Jon M. Chu recently revealed some behind-the-scenes tea on stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who are portraying the roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.
According to Vanity Fair, Chu considered casting “unknowns” for the main characters, but instead, the film landed on talented superstars Grande and Erivo. Not to mention, he also revealed something about the “eternal sunshine” singer’s audition, which she was quite enthusiastic about.
“Every time she came in to audition, she’d be there at least 30 minutes early. I’d see her car circling. I’d be like, ‘Who is that?’ ‘That’s Ariana Grande.’ ‘Why is she here so early?,’” the 44-year-old filmmaker recalled.
Meanwhile, Erivo was apparently one of the last people who was considered for Elphaba, but she wowed during her audition, and she ultimately landed the coveted role. After she sang, Chu revealed:
“Marc and I looked at each other and we’re like, ‘We’re done.’”
Somewhere along the interview, he also noted that ‘Wicked’ was filmed with live vocals.
“When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘Fuck the pre-records. We’re going live,’” the director shared.
Not to mention, Chu talked about Grande and Erivo’s working relationship while filming for the highly anticipated movie, admitting:
“When two giant stars come together, you never know what kind of egos come flying out.”
However, the two stars have developed a certain bond, which the outlet noted “changed them for the better.” In fact, Grande and Erivo had nothing but good words to say about each other in the interview.
The ‘Wicked’ movie is set to be released on November 27. In the meantime, you can see Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, and more photos of the cast members here:
You can also watch the official trailer here:
https://youtu.be/C7yexjc2ALA?si=kHCK2l7M8Sm7pqlu
Sources: vanityfair.com, imdb.com
