These ‘Wicked’ stars brought our favorite characters to life.
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth performing a number from the Wicked musical at the 2004 Tony Awards; Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the artwork for the Wicked: For Good movie soundtrack.
New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images; Universal Pictures
The first Wicked movie and its sequel, Wicked: For Good — premiering on Friday, November 21 in theaters — brought beloved characters like Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero to the big screen with a dazzling cast of actors like Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey on board to play them.
As Ozians from around the world wait for this Wicked Part Two installment to open in theaters, it feels like the perfect time to look back on the Broadway icons who originated these roles on the hit Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz, all while noting how different they are from the Hollywood stars who turned this story into an even bigger pop culture phenomenon through the movies.
Elphaba — Idina Menzel vs. Cynthia Erivo
Idina Menzel as Elphaba Thropp in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp in Wicked: For Good.
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images; Universal Pictures
Elphaba Thropp, otherwise referred to as the Wicked Witch of the West, is the main character of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked novel, Stephen Schwartz’s hit Broadway musical, and the Jon M. Chu-directed live-action films. Unlike the classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz film that portrays this character as a nameless, green, evil witch, Wicked reframes the story and explains why she’s become this way.
The wickedly talented Idina Menzel originated Elphaba on Broadway and transformed the green witch into one of the most beloved fictional characters in history. In the movies, Elphaba was played by another creative powerhouse, Cynthia Erivo, who brought her own experiences and perspectives to the characterization.
Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
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Besides originating the character of Elphaba on Broadway, Idina Menzel is also a legend for playing Maureen Johnson in Rent and voicing Elsa in the hit Disney animated franchise Frozen.
In 2022, the Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and Broadway icon was officially named a “Disney Legend.” This year, Menzel also graced an Out cover star in the “Broadway Divas” issue alongside other powerhouse performers.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo
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Before starring as Elphaba in the Wicked movies, Cynthia Erivo had already won an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony for her work in The Color Purple musical on Broadway. Erivo is only an Oscar away from EGOT-ing, and was also named Icon of the Year on the 2024 Out100 list.
Erivo released her latest studio album, I Forgive You, earlier this year. She also made headlines for playing Jesus Christ in a Hollywood Bowl run of Jesus Christ Superstar. As this era of her career comes to an end following Wicked: For Good, Erivo is already set to play Dracula and 22 other characters in a new stage production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on the West End.
Glinda — Kristin Chenoweth vs. Ariana Grande
Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked: For Good.
Matthew Peyton/Getty Images; Universal Pictures
The Wicked books and musical first introduce this character as Galinda Upland. Over the course of the story, however, she finesses her way into high society, renames herself as Glinda, and rebrands as the Good Witch.
Kristin Chenoweth originated Glinda on Broadway’s Wicked, and the challenge of turning her into a likable character — despite her eccentric quirks and frivolous aspirations — cannot be understated. Ariana Grande took on that challenge for the Wicked movies, and clearly also brought to life a three-dimensional character that audiences will connect with for years to come.
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
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From stage productions likeYou’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to TV shows like Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth is the winner of a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. She is also a legitimate Broadway icon who’s brought to life a long list of iconic characters throughout her career, including Wicked‘s very own Glinda — a role that she originated on Broadway alongside Menzel’s Elphaba.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande has been one of the world’s most popular (pun intended) and successful pop stars for the past couple of decades.
Between releasing Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 songs like “Thank U, Next,” “7 Rings,” “Yes, And?,” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” Grande has publicly declared her deep love of Wicked numerous times. She’s also reiterated how much it means to her to play Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025).
Fiyero — Norbert Leo Butz vs. Jonathan Bailey
Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero Tigelaar in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar in Wicked: For Good.
Joan Marcus; Universal Pictures
Fiyero Tigelaar is the gorgeous, hilarious, and wealthy heartthrob of the Wicked universe. He isn’t really a studious man, but he loves to have fun and feels his emotions very deeply.
Norbert Leo Butz originated the role of Fiyero when the Wicked musical opened on Broadway. In subsequent years, Butz won two Tony Awards for his performances as Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and as Carl Hanratty in Catch me If You Can.
The Wicked movies cast Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, and it’s hard to think of a better actor to bring this character to the big screen. As an out gay actor, Bailey also brought even more queerness to the Wicked universe, which feels correct.
Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz
Valerie Terranova/FilmMagic
The bulk of Norbert Leo Butz’s career has been in theater. Of note, the actor received critical acclaim for his performances in 2002’s Thou Shalt Not, 2005’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 2011’s Catch Me If You Can, and 2018’s My Fair Lady. He was nominated for a Tony Award in all of those four productions.
In the last few years, Butz has gained attention for his work beyond theater as well. For instance, his performances as Bill Belichick on American Sports Story and as Alan Lomax in the Timothée Chalamet-starring biopic of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, were well received by critics and fans alike.
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Bailey
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Jonathan Bailey is one of the biggest Hollywood stars on the planet. He’s come a long way from his breakout role on Netflix’s Bridgerton, and certainly gained some critical acclaim for his performance on Showtime’s Fellow Travelers.
Besides playing the most irresistible and charismatic version of Fiyero we’ve ever seen, Bailey was also cast as a main star in Jurassic World: Rebirth alongside A-listers like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. No big deal, ya know? With his imminent return to Oz through Wicked: For Good, the actor is redefining what it means to be an out actor who can still play all kinds of characters — just like his straight counterparts.
Nessarose — Michelle Federer vs. Marissa Bode
Michelle Federer as Nessarose Thropp in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp in Wicked: For Good.
Joan Marcus; Universal Pictures
Even though Nessarose Thropp — Elphaba’s sister — goes through very drastic changes between the original Wicked novel and the Broadway musical, this character is still a young woman who has a disability and needs Elphaba’s assistance from time to time.
Michelle Federer originated Nessarose in the original Broadway cast of the Wicked musical. In the movies, it was up to newcomer Marissa Bode to embody the role as an actress who also uses a wheelchair for mobility in her day-to-day life. This is a character with a much more significant presence in Wicked: For Good, and fans are excited to see Bode showing this very different side to Nessa.
Boq — Christopher Fitzgerald vs. Ethan Slater
Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Ethan Slater as Boq in Wicked: For Good.
Joan Marcus; Universal Pictures
Boq is a much more significant character in Maguire’s Wicked books. Overall, Boq is a dedicated student at Shiz University who hails from Munchkinland and develops a serious crush on Galinda. Even if his fate is ultimately the same in both the novels and the musical, readers get to know Boq much more than they do on the Broadway show.
The stage musical version of Boq was originated by Christopher Fitzgerald. Over the course of his career, Fitzgerald received Tony nominations for his roles in Young Frankenstein, Finian’s Rainbow, and Waitress.
Ethan Slater, who was also known for his Broadway credits — such as SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical and Spamalot — before starring in Wicked, reprised his role as Boq in Wicked: For Good and will definitely be featured more heavily in the sequel due to what happens at this point in the story.
Madame Morrible — Carole Shelley vs. Michelle Yeoh
Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in Wicked: For Good.
Joan Marcus; Universal Pictures
Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University, is… well, horrible! There are many layers to this character building a connection with Elphaba, being linked to powerful people in the Land of Oz, and pushing her own self-interests over the course of the story.
The late, great Carole Shelley originated Madame Morrible in the stage production of Wicked. She was also well known for her performances in productions like The Elephant Man, Stepping Out, and Billy Elliot.
To pull off such a grandiose and wonderfully sneaky character in the Wicked films, producers went all out and cast Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Everything Everywhere All At Once) in the role. Talk about a perfect choice!
The Wizard of Oz — Joel Grey vs. Jeff Goldblum
Joel Grey as the Wizard of Oz in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz in Wicked: For Good.
Matthew Peyton/Getty Images; Universal Pictures
The truth, fantasy, and mythology surrounding the Wizard of Oz has been built for 125 years since L. Frank Baum’s original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published.
Joel Grey played the Wizard of Oz in the original Broadway cast of Wicked. At the time, the actor was best known for his performance as the Emcee in Cabaret — in the stage musical and in the film adaptation — which earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award.
Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz in the Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025) films has turned out to be another pitch-perfect casting choice for the character, and the sequel has even more chaos and screentime for the actor to let loose.
Doctor Dillamond — William Youmans vs. Peter Dinklage
William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond in the Wicked musical on Broadway; Doctor Dillamond character (CGI) in the Wicked movie; Peter Dinklage at a premiere screening of the Wicked movie in New York City.
Joan Marcus; Universal Pictures; Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for Universal Pictures
William Youmans has had an incredible Broadway career. Over the years, the actor originated roles in various productions — ranging from John Jacob Astor in Titanic: The Musical, to Alcindoro in La Bohème, to Sir Richard Bingham in The Pirate Queen, to Mr. Bascombe in Carousel, to the original Doctor Dillamond in the Wicked musical.
Even though the Wicked movie featured an animated version of Doctor Dillamond, casting producers made an inspired choice by casting Peter Dinklage as the voice actor behind the Animal professor at Shiz University. Dinklage, one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors since starring as Tyrion Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones, carried over all that goodwill into Dillamond, making it easy for viewers to connect with the character right away.
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