This Wicked Deleted Scene Will Teach You How to Be Popular

As a die-hard fan of musical theater and someone who has followed the journey of these iconic productions for years, I must say it is simply astounding to see how close we came to having a completely different cast for the blockbuster film adaptation of “Wicked.

Ariana Grande knows how to be pop-u-lar.

In the ongoing cinematic presentation of “Wicked”, moviegoers are being treated to a previously unseen scene where the actress portraying Glinda, also known as the “7 Rings” singer, instructs Cynthia Erivo’s character Elphaba on how to captivate attention at Shiz University.

In the omitted segment aired on the December 26th episode of Today, Ariana showcases Glinda’s iconic hair flip and enthusiastically mentions, “Oh, I almost forgot! T toss, toss, kick. Toss, toss, kick.

Elphaba exerts every effort, yet it seems Glinda remains unimpressed, and, with a flair of despair, she collapses on the floor as if defeated.

However, the kindly future witch has another clever tactic in store for Cynthia’s character. She says, “I’m going to show you a unique way of communication using your eyebrows. When there’s something you want to express but can’t quite say it and you wish to persuade someone, simply lift them up.

This attempt goes much better, with Glinda later praising Elphaba, “That’s good.”

Naturally, the never-before-seen clip defied gravity for fans.

One person commented on YouTube saying, “How come they removed the hilarious eyebrow part?” Another said, “The pause and the sudden collapse had me laughing so hard! I can’t believe it was deleted, I’m tearing up.” (This paraphrase maintains the original sentiment and humor while using more natural, conversational language.)

Additionally, fans were eagerly requesting extra scenes that didn’t make the final cut, with one fan exclaiming, “We now long for an expanded version, like ‘Wicked: The Extended Edition.’

Acclaim for both Ariana and Cynthia’s acting has been widespread, earning each a nomination for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards. Notably, as Ariana shared beforehand, the 2003 musical “Wicked,” on which the film is based, played a significant role in her life.

She shared with Deadline in November that she saw “Wicked” for the first time when she was ten years old, and considers herself incredibly fortunate. What stands out to her is that she got to watch the original Broadway cast perform. She recalls her life being divided into two parts: before witnessing “Wicked”, and after it, as her life seemed to transform significantly following the experience.

Still, Ariana knew she had to work hard to prove she could be that girl when it came to casting Glinda.

According to director Jon M. Chu, who shared this in an interview with Vanity Fair in November, Ariana Grande auditioned multiple times. He mentioned that she had a habit of arriving 30 minutes early for auditions. Chu expressed some disbelief about her abilities, stating it seemed almost too simple to assume ‘Oh, Ariana Grande can do this’.

However, each time she entered, she captivated everyone with her intrigue. It was impossible not to be mesmerized by her presence.

Initially, Ariana and Cynthia shaped the characters of Glinda and Elphaba uniquely, but at one point, an entirely distinct group of actresses were in contention for those roles. Continue reading to learn about every actress under consideration.

In the 1990s, Demi Moore’s production company Moving Pictures acquired the rights for Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” and subsequently presented it to Universal Pictures, as confirmed by producer Marc Platt.

Moore’s collaborator Suzanne Todd revealed that the main character in the movie Ghost, who is played by her, expressed a desire to portray either Glinda the Good Witch or Elphaba the Wicked Witch. In an interview with Vanity Fair in December 2024, she shared her thoughts: “On different days, I believe she could convincingly play either role, but at that particular time, it was definitely for Elphaba.

Apart from Moore, it’s reported that Whoopi Goldberg was equally eager about acquiring the rights for the movie adaption of “Wicked“. As Maguire stated.

“Whoopi Goldberg’s manager wanted to buy it for her,” Todd added. “But I really wanted it.”

According to Whoopi Goldberg’s publicist, Brad Cafarelli, it is accurate that she did indeed appreciate the book and made a genuine effort to secure its rights. (This sentence aims to maintain the original meaning while using simpler language.)

Following her role in the now iconic series “My So-Called Life” in the ’90s, Claire Danes showed an early interest in a film project around the same time, as Maguire remembered.

As mentioned by Maguire, Salma Hayek had shown some inclination towards being involved with the film adaptation, but it wasn’t clear whether she planned to portray the character of Elphaba.

The former star of “Roseanne,” who was additionally a founding member of the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, has expressed interest, as confirmed by Maguire to Vanity Fair. However, it remains unclear what specific character she might be considering for a role.

In the 1990s, once Moore’s Moving Pictures secured the necessary rights, they started drafting a script and compiling a list of preferred actors.

As Todd mentioned, they didn’t get far enough to actually cast the role of Glinda, but Michelle Pfeiffer was a top contender for the part.

Additionally, Emma Thompson is included in the cast of characters for Glinda, having earned a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars for her work on the 1995 film adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility,” which was a strong contender for the award.

One actress Todd mentioned as a strong contender for the part of Glinda was none other than Nicole Kidman, who had recently starred in the 1995 film “Batman Forever.

2024-12-27 04:17

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