Video: Bowen Yang Shares How Ariana Grande Helped Him Star in WICKED

Sometimes it pays to be friends with the director. In a new interview on TODAY, Wicked star and SNL cast member Bowen Yang shared that he specifically asked Jon M. Chu to be in the musical film.

"He was like, 'We'll work something out.' I thought he was totally kidding. But somehow I'm in it!" Yang said. In the film, the performer plays Glinda's friend Pfannee. Yang also credits co-star and friend Ariana Grande for helping him get permission to appear in the film, despite SNL's strict requirements about not missing shows. "Ariana called up Lorne Michaels [and he agreed to let me do it]. I can't believe it happened!"

Yang revealed some of the lines he ad-libbed that made it into the final cut and how, despite the epic nature of the movie, "we felt like we were just shooting a student film," adding that the production was "so intimate and cozy." Watch the full interview here and also take a look at the other TODAY Wicked interviews. 

The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part will be released on November 22, 2024, with Part Two hitting theaters on November 21, 2025.