In the two-part adaptation of the Broadway smash hit, Ethan plays Boq, the Munchkin emotion involvement of Nessarose, alongside a star-studded formed including Ariana Grande—his woman of implicit a year—and Cynthia Erivo arsenic Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, arsenic good arsenic Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and more.

And portion it means truthful overmuch for SpongeBob SquarePants histrion to yet person his lad spot the movie, portraying the quality has been magical for himself, too. 

"It's truly cool," Ethan added. "I deliberation the craziest happening is Wicked has been astir for truthful long—for 20 years. Being a portion of the bequest of Wicked that truthful galore radical emotion truthful overmuch and getting to beryllium a portion of that love. I've ever been a fan, truthful present being capable to speech to radical arsenic 1 of the hundreds of Boqs."

Because the relation is highly meaningful to the 32-year-old, helium was capable to transmission himself into his quality seamlessly. 

"I emotion Boq due to the fact that he's a well-intentioned feline looking for a assemblage and looking for love," Ethan explained. "He would bash thing for the radical that helium loves. And I really respect that successful Boq, and adjacent if helium stumbles and trips and makes mistakes—he's trying to pb with heart. So, I'd similar to deliberation I connected with him successful that way."

Ethan's costars would hold that helium shares his character's qualities. After all, Saturday Night Live's Bowen Yang—who plays Pfannee successful the film—credited Ethan for bringing the formed unneurotic connected set. 

“There are radical successful the satellite who are capable to enactment different radical connected this accelerated way towards familiarity and relationship and fellowship," Bowen told GQ in an nonfiction published past month. "Ethan, I deliberation much than astir everybody I’ve met, has that prime astir him.”

Meanwhile, Ariana—who archetypal went nationalist with Ethan successful July 2023—echoed Bowen, crediting her boyfriend's quality to enactment up with the scrutiny the mates faced aboriginal connected successful their relationship. 

As she told Vanity Fair successful September, "No 1 connected this world tries harder oregon spreads themselves thinner to beryllium determination for the radical that helium loves and cares about."

And the “7 Rings” vocalist thinks that knowing Ethan has changed her for the good, adding, “There is nary 1 connected this world with a amended heart."

As for however Ethan feels astir Ariana’s portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch successful the film? He is beaming.

“I’m conscionable really, truly arrogant of Ari and the enactment she’s done connected this,” helium told GQ past month. “She’s poured herself into it. I’m truly excited to beryllium present for this adjacent measurement of erstwhile the satellite gets to spot the astonishing happening that she did.”

Read connected to spot much of the Wicked stars that graced the reddish carpet.

(E!, Universal Pictures and Fandango are each portion of the NBCUniversal family.)