- Wicked is currently smashing the global box office
- But while fans are enamored with the cast, who could the parts have gone to instead?
- Pubity.com takes a look
With Wicked currently making a splash in the global box office, fans have been blown away by its magical cast.
With Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the starring roles of enemies-turned-best friends Elphaba – aka the Wicked Witch of the West – and Glinda the Good, the supporting actors have also been given their flowers.
According to fans, Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has “more chemistry than a meth lab”, and Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh have also won high praise; while relatively unknown actors such as Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode are now firmly on everyone’s radar.
But although we Couldn’t Be Happier with the castings, there are plenty of famous faces who narrowly missed out on making the cut.
The likes of Amanda Seyfried and Reneé Rapp auditioned for the part of Glinda – which ultimately went to Grande – and Pubity.com has already taken a deepdive into the other actors to try out for the role.
But what about Elphaba, Fiyero, The Wizard and Madame Morrible? Read on to find out who the alternative castings could have been…
Elphaba, played in Wicked by Cynthia Erivo
Ariana Grande
Errrrm… surely not?
But while we now can’t imagine anyone but Grande taking on the bubblegum pink Glinda, it was her dream to play Elphaba.
In 2019, she told Zach Sang, “I would do anything to play Elphie. I don’t really have many dream roles. I already got to play Penny [Pingleton in Hairspray]. Elphaba and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, those are my two dream roles. I would do anything.”
And it turns out that Grande did actually audition for the role of Elphie, at the same time as she read for the part of her less-green bestie.
Appearing on the Sentimental Men podcast, she revealed, “I had a feeling they were going to make me sing for both roles and they did.”
In her first audition, the pop star disclosed that she sang Glinda’s songs No One Mourns the Wicked and Popular – as well as The Wizard and I and Defying Gravity, which are performed by Elphaba.
“I had an inkling in my heart always that it was going to be Glinda, but I was hearing really mixed things from people who were like, ‘Oh, they want you to read for both,'” Grande continued. “I was like, I guess that’s because they don’t know what my voice is – and maybe they think vocally I might be better-suited for Elphaba. I secretly knew I was only meant for Glinda.
“Either way, I was going to be open to the conversation.”
Lady Gaga
Another pop star-turned-movie legend to be considered for Erivo’s role was Lady Gaga.
The A Star Is Born actor never officially auditioned for Elphaba, but was reportedly the leading choice for the part when director and producer Stephen Daldry was at the movie’s helm back in 2016.
A source told Page Six, “They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] was essentially cast in his version, and then it fell through.”
Daldry left the project in 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, and was succeeded by Jon M. Chu a year later.
Nicole Scherzinger
Another movie musical star to allegedly try out was Nicole Scherzinger.
The former Pussycat Dolls singer was linked to the project back in 2017.
A source told The Sun, “Nicole has held early discussions with film bosses who think she’s perfect for the role of Elphaba. She’s been eyeing a career in acting for some time now.”
However, Scherzinger denied the rumours.
Cristin Milioti
While Scherzy may have been cagey as to whether or not she read for Elphaba, Cristin Milioti has been very open about her audition experience.
Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September, The Penguin actor revealed, “Wicked is one of my favourite musicals. They called me and asked if I wanted to audition for Elphaba, the green witch. I was like, ‘Yes of course.’”
Milioti continued, “I had two weeks and this was my first in person audition since Covid. A little rusty. Not great for singing, not great for high notes. And the big day comes, they’re so nice. We start singing through the songs, I’m doing it. And then they were like, ‘Are you ready for the big boy?’
“They start the music and this calmness washes over me. I think I’m going to hit this crazy note that I’ve been obsessing over. I open my mouth… and the sound that escaped me is something I will hear on my deathbed. It was disgusting. I sounded terrible.”
Cringe. However, Milioti showed no hard feelings to Erivo.
“I’m so excited for that movie and specifically Cynthia Erivo,” she added. “I cannot wait to hear her.”
Fiyero, played in Wicked by Jonathan Bailey
Nick… AND Joe Jonas
In what could have been an awkward case of sibling rivalry, both Nick and Joe Jonas auditioned for Fiyero.
During an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, Nick admitted, “We always say we want someone with the last name ‘Jonas’ to win. That’s our goal.
“We both auditioned for the same role, Joe and I. It was for Wicked, actually. And we were going into it… and naturally, we’re brothers, we’re competitive in sports and other things, but when it comes to our career, I think we genuinely both looked at each other like…”
Joe continued, “Yeah, we said, ‘Go in there and kill it ’cause it’s got to be one of us. It has to be one of us.’ That being said, [we] never got that call.”
Shawn Mendes
Heartthrob singer Shawn Mendes was also in the running.
According to Page Six, Mendes was being considered for the role of Fiyero by Stephen Daldry, at the same time that Lady Gaga was attached to the project – and we all know how that turned out.
Spencer Sutherland
In an appearance on The Zach Sang Show, Spencer Sutherland revealed he auditioned for the role of Fiyero.
“I got a callback for Wicked… I thought it was a great audition,” Sutherland revealed. “When I got a double callback, it was like, ‘Oh s***, this is real. How many people do they have left?’ Probably 20, but still not bad. I don’t know the number.”
Ryan McCartan
Ryan McCartan is another name who was linked to the role.
The Disney veteran previously played Fiyero on Broadway, and admitted on his own podcast, The Stage Door, that he would have loved to reprise the role on the big screen.
Reacting to the official trailer for Wicked, McCartan said, “Jon [M Chu], you didn’t cast me in the movie, even though I worked so hard. That’s fine, no hard feelings. Confirmed I did audition… One of the many, many things I haven’t booked.”
Harry Styles
While the movie may have hit screens just last month, ten years ago, Harry Styles was reportedly the first choice Fiyero for the Wicked casting directors.
All the way back in 2014, a source told The Sun, “Moviemakers see him as a new Zac Efron and think he would be a perfect casting for a movie musical. He is top of the Wicked team’s wishlist to play the romantic lead role of Fiyero.”
How about the rest of the Wicked cast?
With the role of Madame Morrible eventually going to Michelle Yeoh, other very famous faces linked to the role were Jennifer Lopez and Imelda Staunton, who were both said to have auditioned for the part.
Ted Lasso actor Hannah Waddingham was also in the mix. The star was an original cast member of the 2011 West End production of The Wizard of Oz – and played the Wicked Witch. Not quite Elphaba in Wicked – but definitely just as green!
And while we can’t imagine anyone other than Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, there were a couple of other celebrities being considered for the part.
Steve Martin – who is currently starring in the Disney+ show Only Murders In The Building alongside Selena Gomez – was supposedly in the running, as well as Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston.
