Entertainment
‘Wicked’ director opens about Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande’s casting in film
Wicked director Jon M. Chu has opened about how he decided to cast Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
The filmmaker revealed that he was under no pressure by the studio regarding the casting of the film.
Jon knew it from the first meeting that they both were a perfect fit for the roles of Glinda and Elphaba. He knew that their joint chemistry would make the film superhit.
“At first I thought, let’s keep it open to anybody. The studio never put pressure on us about names or followers. Not one word”, the Crazy Rich Asians director added.
Recalling the first meeting with both the actress’, Chu said, “When Cynthia walks in and sings, you feel it in your bones. And when Ari sat there and became Glinda, there was no question.”
The director says that people saw the magic now, but he saw it very early on.
He told Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, “I knew what everyone is seeing now – I got to see it on day four.”
Today Wicked is known as one of the blockbusters in cinemas.
It features Ariana, Cynthia, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.