Cynthia Erivo Reveals What's Different About the WICKED Film

Cynthia Erivo, who is starring as Elphaba in the upcoming film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked, recently chatted with Collider about what fans can expect from the movie, how it differs from the stage production, and more.

"I don't know that you can compare them. It's like apples to oranges. The show is its own thing. The show is its own legend. I think this film is both an homage to the show and the book," she said.

Erivo continued. "We also get to create something really new and slightly different to what you'd be used to seeing. We're lucky, in that we have the space to really fill the world and to really fill these characters."

She also went on to say that fans will possibly get a deeper understanding of Elphaba and Glinda through the film.

"You'll be able to get into the psyche of these women. You'll get to know them more. You will live with them a lot more, and you'll live with them a lot longer. I think it's really special that we get to reintroduce these two women to you, in a slightly different way."

Through preparing for this role, Erivo has done some deep diving of her own into the psyche of her character.

"The thing that I'm maybe the most surprised by, and I'll say this about character exploration and the relationship that she has with Glinda, is that when you start to crack it open, you start to learn that these two women both have hurts of their own that they have to overcome, and they've been overcompensating by doing certain things to cover what they're feeling," she said.

"You get to see their hearts a little bit more. And you realize that these two women are actually really alike. Yes, they're very different. But actually, at their very core, they're two very similar beings who have almost the same wants, but have very different ways of getting to them."

Read the original story on Collider.

The film adaptation of Wicked will be released in two parts, the first being released during the 2024 holiday season and the next part being released the year after.

Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships.

The film will be lead by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Grammy Winner Ariana Grande as Glinda. Jonathan Bailey will play Fiyero, alongside Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James will play Shiz University classmates Pfannee and ShenShen, respectively, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric, and Michael Carmichael as Nikidik.

Cynthia Erivo made her Broadway debut reprising her starring role as 'Celie' in the critically acclaimed revival of "The Color Purple." She first played the role in 2013 at London's Menier Chocolate Factory and her performance on Broadway earned her several awards, including the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Grammy award as a principal soloist on original cast recording of "The Color Purple" (Best Musical Theater Album), a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the Drama Desk Award, Theatre World, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Erivo is also a two-time Academy Award nominee for her leading performance and original song for the film Harriet.