Why Ariana Grande & Jonathan Bailey’s Kiss Was Cut From Wicked

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wicked: For Good

The Wicked creators removing a scene from the sequel was for good. 

Dana Fox, the screenwriter for Wicked: For Good, shared that a romantic kiss between Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero was removed from the movie. The decision was made to ensure viewers would see their characters in a more favorable light.

Originally, the scene was intended to have more intimate moments between the actors. Their characters were about to get married, but that was interrupted by the return of Fiyero’s true love, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who had been in hiding.

Honestly, as a huge fan, I was really moved by the scenes between Glinda and Fiyero. Dana, who worked on the show, explained it best to Deadline: it was beautiful and romantic, but almost too intense. Seeing their connection made it incredibly difficult to accept Fiyero’s ultimate decision to be with Elphaba, and it made Elphaba running away with him feel…wrong. It just felt so genuine that they truly had feelings for each other, and that’s what made it so tough to watch.

The movie doesn’t show much of a connection between Fiyero and Glinda, and she unexpectedly reveals she’s engaged to him during a public announcement. Dana felt that suggesting real romantic feelings between them made Fiyero’s eventual decision to leave with Elphaba seem harsh.

Dana explained that while he definitely cares about Glinda, it’s not the same as romantic love. “He loves her, but it’s a different kind of love,” she clarified.

By not portraying Glinda and Fiyero’s connection as a serious romance, the show likely avoided viewers taking sides or assigning blame in the central love triangle.

Dana explained that the scene felt overly romantic, and the writers worried revealing too much would upset the audience. They feared viewers would become frustrated and dislike the characters Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero if the romantic outcome wasn’t what they hoped for.

In the end, she was glad they removed it from the movie. She explained that every cut they made felt like the correct choice.

As a storyteller, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to protect the audience from getting too invested too soon. Dana explained they deliberately avoided showing a truly romantic connection early on because they didn’t want viewers to be utterly devastated if the characters didn’t end up together. The risk? If the romance had felt too real, people might have turned against Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero, and we definitely didn’t want that!

You know, looking back at the final cut of the film, I truly believe we made the right choices with what ended up staying and what didn’t. Every scene we removed, we removed for a very specific and valid reason – it always felt like the best decision for the overall story. I’m really happy with how it all turned out.

To discoverate more Wicked secrets, read on.

Ariana Grande, the Grammy-winning singer, is fulfilling a lifelong dream by playing Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie. She landed the role about twenty years after first meeting the original Broadway Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, backstage. Naturally, she turned to Chenoweth for advice on everything from navigating romance to choosing the perfect shoes!

Ariana Grande told Entertainment Weekly that she and Kristin Chenoweth exchanged a lot of video messages during their relationship. Chenoweth joked that they sent so many, she actually filled up all the storage space on her device.

The two Elphabas shared a similarly spellbinding connection. 

Cynthia Erivo said she contacted Idina Menzel right away, leaving a voicemail simply to say hello and reconnect.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth’s appearance in the two-part Wicked movie wasn’t just a brief, nostalgic visit. While they appeared in the 2024 film, Chenoweth told TopMob News that she believes their time in the spotlight for this story has passed. She explained, “Idina and I had our moment, and it was a beautiful one. But now, it’s up to the new actresses to carry the story forward.”

What was the instant connection Erivo felt when she first met Grande? It definitely wasn’t dislike. Erivo explained to Deadline in 2024 that they met at her home and spent about five hours talking. “We just clicked immediately,” she said. “It felt natural and easy, and that’s been true ever since.”

And, no doubt, it’s changed each star for the better. 

From the moment we met, we both agreed to support each other, and we’ve truly kept that promise through everything,” Grande explained.

Director Jon M. Chu admitted the production team wasn’t initially certain how much of the singing would be done live during filming. However, Ariana Grande was adamant that she and Cynthia Erivo would perform all the vocals in real time. Erivo agreed, explaining that singing live would create a stronger connection to the lyrics and to each other.

The unique U.K. filming location truly made the movie special. Director Chu described it as feeling like an incredible concert with perfect views for everyone.

The only real problem during filming was that both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were sick just before they needed to record their most important songs.

Cynthia Erivo told The New York Times that she tested positive for Covid the week before filming ‘Defying Gravity.’ She explained it felt like a sign to pause and recover, saying, ‘It was like being told, ‘Hold on, Cynthia, now’s not the time.’

I remember Ariana telling me it was the week before ‘Popular’ that she joined the set. She was still recovering from something, and actually wore a mask during her last few days of getting better while learning the choreography for that big hallway scene. It was amazing seeing her dedication!

And try out a few jokes. 

I remember being in the dorm room with her, and I playfully sang into her ear, ‘Stay positive, everything will be okay!’ But honestly, I wasn’t feeling positive myself at that point – I’d already taken the test to find out the results.

Ariana Grande says she doesn’t remember initially reacting to a moment in her performance. She explained on TikTok that when Cynthia Erivo finished a line in the song, Grande instinctively yelled “Right!” and was so startled by her own reaction—she was listening to a studio recording before seeing the movie—that she immediately called director Jon M. Chu while laughing.

Though, added Grande, “For the record, I absolutely do not remember doing this.” 

The main actors were completely dedicated and willing to trust their gut, even if it meant taking risks. That’s why Cynthia Erivo performed her own stunts, including being suspended by wires to create the illusion of flying. “I expected there would be stunts,” she explained in a behind-the-scenes look, “and I really wanted to do them myself.”

She explained it felt like ‘flying with a corset, a harness, and songs.’ But when everything came together, she said, ‘it truly felt like magic.’

During the performance of “Popular,” Ariana Grande famously swung around on a chandelier. However, it was someone else who almost got hurt.

During the initial practice run, one of the stunt coordinators positioned himself nearby to prevent me from getting seriously injured, I explained on The Tonight Show. He stood very still and bravely in the corner, but I accidentally almost kicked him in the face with my foot. He didn’t react much, just endured it.

Jonathan Bailey played the role of Fiyero and his performance of “Dancing Through Life” included a dynamic set piece. It featured three rotating wheels, each with a ladder built into the center.

At nearly 180 feet long, 145 feet wide, and 45 feet high, the set was incredibly risky, Chu admitted to Entertainment Weekly. He explained that even getting insurance for the project was a major challenge.

The stunt was quite dangerous—choreographer Christopher Scott wasn’t even sure they’d be able to use Jonathan Bailey on the ‘tornado wheel’ due to safety concerns. He explained that they needed to protect Bailey, as he plays Fiyero and they couldn’t risk him getting hurt.

Rather than using automated systems, they hired a team of engineers to watch the performance and manually adjust the speed to match the dancers’ movements as they jumped, spun, and performed.

Erivo chose to have her skin airbrushed rather than digitally altered to appear green.

Okay, so I had this vision, right? I desperately wanted to create this woman, and when I finally looked at the finished piece, I wanted to see life staring back at me. Not some smooth, perfect image, but someone real. I obsessed over making her skin look… touchable. Like, you could see the little details – freckles, different tones, real shading. It wasn’t just about being green, it was about feeling like actual skin. And her eyes! They had to be this intense green, something that felt like it was part of her very being, woven into her DNA. It wasn’t just a color on her, it was in her, you know?

They dubbed her particular shade “Cynthia Green.” 

To create consistent freckles, Cynthia Erivo had a mold made of her face. They poked tiny holes in the mold, then used it like a stencil to airbrush on the freckles, ensuring they wouldn’t rub off. She explained this process during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in November 2024.

Despite her many piercings, the actress readily agreed to a simple solution offered by the production team instead of trying to hide them.

Erivo told Elle that because she has so many piercings, the costume department created fake ears for her to wear. She explained, ‘Those aren’t my ears!’

She explained to Elle that painting could take up to four hours, depending on the level of detail – specifically, how much of the figure she included, from the head and chest to the hands and full body.

Ariana Grande, on the other hand, described her transformation as surprisingly simple – just a few quick steps. As she explained on set, she focused on speed. The process included covering her tattoos, carefully putting on a wig, and a makeup routine that ultimately inspired her to rethink her overall approach to makeup and how she viewed it.

She explained the makeup look was subtle, avoiding heavy eyeliner or dramatic shading. Instead, the focus was on lashes shaped like a cat’s eye – giving a lift similar to her usual style, but with a more natural appearance.

Ariana Grande was thrilled to wear Glinda’s famous, fluffy pink dress. She described it as being filled with “pink and fluff” and was amazed by the incredible detail, noting it took 225 hours and over 20,000 beads to create. She was so impressed by the thoughtfulness put into the costume that she said she almost had a heart attack!

Even Elphaba’s clothing was carefully designed. Costume designer Paul Tazewell drew inspiration from the textures of mushrooms and fungi, creating a “beautiful pleated dress,” as Cynthia Erivo described it, that felt like velvet with layers of purple and lace.

According to Tazewell, the material is created by layering a finely pleated fabric onto a foundation, which gives it a wavy texture.

The set designers paid incredible attention to every single detail. For example, the train traveling to Emerald City weighed 16 tons and took two days to move into position. And the vibrant fields of Munchkinland weren’t created with computer effects – they actually planted nine million real tulips across 25 acres in Norfolk to make the scene bloom beautifully.

Chu observed that they carefully built the forest of Oz, making sure to keep the overall picture in mind while focusing on the details.

He explained, offering a glimpse behind the scenes, that the success was due to careful attention to detail. He was amazed by the entire process, noting how it transformed from initial sketches and concepts into the finished product we see today.

Knowing Ariana really well, I wanted to get her something truly special. So, I teamed up to surprise her with custom jackets! We had Janan Studio paint them, and then Haus of Crystals added some serious sparkle – we made matching sets, which was so fun!

In December 2024, the Broadway star shared a sweet moment from the set on Instagram, writing, ‘Leading my babygirl down the yellow brick road,’ as a keepsake of what they called ‘passing of the wand.’

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo proved their friendship is truly lasting with matching tattoos. As Grande explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show, they intentionally got the tattoos placed on opposite sides of their bodies so that when they hold hands, the tattoos connect.

They also got matching poppy flowers and hearts, and Erivo drew a broom and a hat on her arms.

Erivo told Elle she feels like she’s gained a sister, and that they instantly felt a strong connection with each other.

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2025-11-26 05:20