Jonathan Bailey Talks Longtime Love of WICKED: 'Something About It Just Grabbed Me'

Jonathan Bailey is as big a Wicked fan as the rest of us. In a new feature in V Magazine, Ariana Grande interviewed her Wicked co-star who discussed some of his current projects, including the highly anticipated film.

As a longtime fan of the musical, Bailey says that his "preparation started when I listened to the soundtrack when I was like 15...Something about it just completely grabbed me." He believes that the themes present in the story of Wicked "have probably expanded," which only adds to his excitement about the film.

Bailey also recalled his first meeting with director Jon M. Chu as he got Ready to Play the role of Fiyero. "We chatted for about two and a half hours and it was really emotional," the actor said. "The one thing that we talked about with Fiyero: everything is so easy to him. How do you tell the story of someone who seemingly doesn’t care? What’s he frustrated by? We discussed it and found quite a human thing, I think."

Both Grande and Bailey went on to praise their director, with Grande saying they were "very spoiled to have done this with him." Bailey emphasized the wonder of the filming experience, which was as magical as he had hoped: "...we were on those incredible sets... I think I was in Wicked fan survival mode for the last 18 months."

Read the full interview HERE.

Part One of the Wicked movie hits theaters on November 22, 2024. The second part of the film is scheduled for a November 26, 2025 release.

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. The film stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.