First to defy gravity arsenic the destined-to-be-different Elphaba successful Wicked, which opened connected Broadway Oct. 30, 2003, was Rent alum Idina Menzel.

"I deliberation for a batch of women who are known to beryllium larger than life, who capable a room, there's this happening of wanting to beryllium seen and loving the attraction and appreciation for our gifts but also, erstwhile radical are really looking astatine you, feeling terrified and vulnerable," Menzel, who won the Tony Award for Best Actress successful a Musical for the role, told Vulture successful 2023. "That's Elphaba's full journey. For me, it was the aforesaid thing."

And portion a fig of performers person followed successful her footsteps, Cynthia Erivo—who wields the aboriginal Wicked Witch of the West's broom with aplomb successful the Jon M. Chu-directed big-screen adaptation—earned a peculiar spot successful her heart.

 "She embraces everything that Elphaba is about," Menzel told E! News Nov. 9 astatine the film's Los Angeles premiere. "The information that she’s unsocial and antithetic and she’s got this powerfulness and this fire—and that’s Cynthia arsenic a quality being, but she’s infused that into the role."

Erivo told E! that getting to walk clip with Wicked's archetypal starring ladies was "one of the astir unthinkable highlights of our year."

Kristin Chenoweth originated the relation of Galinda—soon to beryllium Glinda, Good Witch of the North—on Broadway.

"People ever said that determination wasn't a amusement successful 2 women unneurotic arsenic leads," she told Vulture successful 2023. "When it was pitched to maine it was like, 'You're precise overmuch the broadside character. You're precise overmuch the supporting character.'"

Chenoweth whitethorn person mislaid the Tony to Menzel, but they were precise overmuch a squad and both cognize astir fashionable to this day.

And Ariana Grande was lone 10 erstwhile she visited Chenoweth backstage and told her she wanted to travel successful her pink-hued footsteps.

"She told me, 'I privation to beryllium you. I privation to play Glinda,'" Chenoweth recalled to E! astatine the L.A. premiere, affecting a higher register. "In that aforesaid voice."

When Grande got the audition, "We some cried," she added. "We dependable similar dolphins."

Grande called Chenoweth and Menzel "a precise supportive witch coven."

"We conscionable consciousness truthful honored to beryllium a portion of this legacy," Grande told E! astatine the premiere, "and to beryllium the ones successful the movie. It's specified a saccharine happening to stock with them."

And of people they sang unrecorded similar their Broadway predecessors, Grande noted, due to the fact that "the spontaneity, the affectional integrity of what we're singing about, demands it. It wouldn't person worked immoderate different way."

The relation of Elphaba's seemingly unserious but yet rather discerning emotion involvement went to theatre seasoned Norbert Leo Butz, a two-time Tony victor since his tally playing Fiyero—which lone lasted a period aft a back injury forced him to instrumentality a interruption from the stage.

But helium was with the accumulation agelong capable to person collected a precious souvenir.

"I met my wife, Michelle Federer, doing that show," Butz said connected New York Live successful 2023. "She played Nessarose [Elphaba's younger sister]. So the memento I took was my beauteous woman of astir 20 years."

And helium was inactive Federer's archetypal prime to play Fiyero successful the movie version. 

Or, she told ET successful 2022, "Timothée Chalamet." Added her husband, "I was conscionable going to accidental that, 'cause I stake helium could sing."

No discourtesy to Jonathan Bailey, who did score the relation and was blessed to travel successful specified illustrious footsteps.

"Norbert Leo Butz is 1 of my heroes," helium said on Popcorn Podcast With Leigh and Tim. "Beyond. So I'm excited to get to New York connected the property circuit truthful we tin person a small bev and sermon Fiyero."

After that, however, determination was nary spot similar location for an extra-special screening.

"It was conscionable truthful contiguous successful my puerility and my family," helium told E! astatine the L.A. premiere. "And I retrieve watching with my grandparents. And so, I'm truly excited to get to London and get location and to ticker it with my 93-year-old grandma."

The Wizard of Oz concern analyzable ne'er told you that Dorothy's location fell connected a miss successful a wheelchair, albeit 1 who had go progressively tyrannical toward the citizens of Munchkinland (and whose sister enactment a spell connected her metallic slippers that turned them ruby and enabled her to walk).

Federer made her Broadway debut successful Wicked playing Nessarose, Elphaba's younger sister who is the 1 who truly wants to spell to Shiz and becomes resentful of her sibling's earthy talents. She stayed with the amusement for 3 years and joined Butz successful 2007.

The film's Marissa Bode, meanwhile, is the archetypal histrion who uses a wheelchair successful existent beingness to play the part.

"How I consciousness arsenic a disabled idiosyncratic successful a satellite that is not needfully built for me, successful a satellite wherever radical conscionable don’t recognize oregon aren’t ever afloat educated connected disablement arsenic a whole—I decidedly took those with maine and leaned that into my character," Bode said on TODAY. She was "over the moon" astir being in Wicked, she added, and hoped her crook arsenic Nessarose, portion steeped successful sorcery, was besides a relatable portrayal of an autarkic idiosyncratic who happens to usage a chair.

"Thankfully, the University of Shiz is accessible,” she said. "There are ramps everywhere."

The precocious Carole Shelley, a Tony victor successful 1979 for The Elephant Man, played Shiz headmistress Madame Morrible for the archetypal 19 months of Wicked's historical run.

"It's a nicely important relation successful the communicative line," the actress, who died successful 2018, told TDF Stages erstwhile she reprised the relation connected Broadway for 5 months starting successful August 2007. "And it was terribly breathtaking to beryllium successful it astatine the precise beginning. It was sometimes a small nerve-racking; it tin beryllium hard to support up. When they get going with a large amusement similar this, they truly expect you to present it yesterday."

Looking back, "I knew that the taxable substance was conscionable dynamite," Shelley said, "but who'd ever deliberation it would spell implicit similar this?"

Ironically, it went close implicit Michelle Yeoh's head, the Oscar winner admitting astatine the film's L.A. premiere that she "had nary idea" what Wicked was erstwhile Chu asked her to beryllium successful it.

"I knew Wizard of Oz, who doesn't," she told The Hollywood Reporter, "but not Wicked, due to the fact that I hadn't been going to the theaters and not doing what I love, which is watching musicals, for rather a while."

And portion she was "terrified" astir singing successful the movie, she studied with a dependable manager and, Yeoh said, "the process of exercising, learning to usage the muscles successful a antithetic way, was really very, precise bully for maine due to the fact that it helps with my dependable arsenic an actor. So I had fun."

Life is simply a cabaret—i.e. axenic theater—for the alleged Wizard of Oz, truthful Tony victor Joel Grey was the apt prime to originate the relation of the charming charlatan.

"For me, I'm ever looking for the information of the man," Grey told Playbill successful 2003. "I didn't look astatine the movie [The Wizard of Oz] erstwhile I knew I was going to bash this. I wanted to rediscover it connected my own."

Jeff Goldblum, who acknowledged needing "many Kleenex" erstwhile helium saw the philharmonic aboriginal successful its run, leaned into the ambiguity of the character.

"It's portion of the taxable of the full movie—that cipher is truly evil oregon good," helium told InStyle. "Everybody is simply a complicated, elaborate tapestry of many, galore things. And to trim it to atrocious oregon bully is to falsify it."

And similar Grey, helium wasn't trying to emulate what had travel before.

"I person nary peculiar approach, really, oregon goal," helium said. "I'm conscionable doing what feels right."

As Boq, who reluctantly succumbs to Nessarose's affections (only to trigger her insecurities and extremity up a Tin Man courtesy of her sister), Christopher Fitzgerald astatine times felt similar "a tiny dot" successful the elephantine oversea that is Wicked.

But adjacent the supporting formed has their fanatics and, helium told Talkin' Broadway successful 2009, "I've seen radical with tattoos of Boq connected their arm. Wicked probably volition outlast america all. It's the new Cats."

But portion Boq's crush connected Glinda is unrequited connected signifier and screen, the sparks flew off-camera.

"She's incredible," Ethan Slater told E! News of Grande, who became his real-life girlfriend aft the 2 met connected acceptable successful 2022. "She's not a vocalist who wants to beryllium an histrion oregon an histrion who wants to beryllium a singer. She's conscionable the champion of both."

Doctor Dillamond, Elphaba's favourite Shiz prof who happens to beryllium a goat, was archetypal played by William Youmans connected Broadway.

"When I took my last bow successful 2005, I came retired with a motion that said, 'I'll beryllium back,'" the histrion told Playbill erstwhile helium reprised the relation successful 2023. "Because Wicked was the top happening that ever happened to me. My vocation was wholly revolutionized."

Reflecting connected the character's impact, Youmans noted, "The main communicative is astir the narration betwixt Elphaba and Glinda, of course. But what the animals are going done activates their main break. Glinda goes 1 way, and Elphaba goes another, and it's each implicit what the Wizard is doing to the literal scapegoat."

While the past teacher who warns that "something bad" is afoot successful Oz is afloat CGI successful the film, his unmistakable dependable belongs to Peter Dinklage.

"It was a spot of a lonely process, signaling successful a dependable booth isolated from the remainder of the cast," the Game of Thrones alum told Cinema Express, "but it's specified an grant to beryllium portion of thing this universally loved and amazingly creative. My girl has seen the Broadway amusement 5 times, and her friends inactive privation to spell for each day party."

Ultimately, helium added, "Wicked resonates due to the fact that everyone feels similar an outsider astatine immoderate point. It’s astir defining your independency and spot wrong that feeling of isolation. Above all, it teaches kindness, which is the astir important thing."

Saturday Night Live standout Bowen Yang plays Pfannee, Glinda's witchy champion person astatine schoolhouse and a caller quality successful the Wicked cinematic universe.

"I can't judge I'm successful it," Yang said on TODAY. "It's inactive a pinch-me thing."

He recalled telling his buddy—director Chu—years agone that he'd "play anything, I'll clasp the roar mic, I'll bash immoderate you want," truthful agelong arsenic helium had something to bash with the movie.

And present helium besides counts Grande arsenic a adjacent pal IRL, Yang marveling implicit "how organically it happened." He didn't privation to propulsion it, helium explained, truthful helium fto her gravitate toward him, and it turned retired "she's the astir wonderful, splendid idiosyncratic determination is."

Rounding retired the snarky trio with Pfannee and a pre-enlightenment Glinda is Bronwyn James arsenic mean miss ShenShen, different quality written for the film.

"When I knew determination was going to beryllium a movie adaptation of Wicked, I thought, 'I have to beryllium portion of this," the English histrion told Wonderland magazine.

ShenShen and Pfannee are "obviously sycophants to Glinda," James explained, "but much similar toxic devotees. I benignant of spot them arsenic small yipping Chihuahuas you support successful your purse."

Pairing up with Yang successful that capableness was an "absolute blast," she added. "He's truthful comic and speedy witted, truthful having idiosyncratic similar that to bounce your quality disconnected is amazing."

Another new-to-the-world look astatine Shiz: Faculty subordinate Miss Coddle, who's tasked with immoderate of the field soiled enactment arsenic dictated by the powers that be.

Because she played a portion "that didn't adjacent exist" successful the archetypal musical, The Greatest Showman actress Keala Settle said connected Smallzy's Surgery in July that she wasn't tense astir however her show would beryllium received. "They created the quality truthful we each benignant of worked unneurotic to marque it happen. But there's a batch of those successful there."

As for the movie itself, she added, "It's conscionable truthful beautiful, I can't adjacent explicit to you, everything looks similar an lipid painting."