Long before Wicked came to life on the big screen, director Jon M. Chu had an idea for casting the movie. According to the Making Wicked featurette, Chu had the idea early on that he would cast unknowns in the roles of Elphaba and Glinda. Chu said, “If you had asked me early, I said we want to find unknowns.” What he means by this is that he hoped to cast actors who were not yet famous in the biggest roles.
Although Chu did not follow through with this idea, it definitely would have been an interesting move. In general, the benefit of casting unknowns in blockbuster franchises is that it allows the project to stand on its own. Audiences have no preconceived notions of who the actors are, and instead, are able to fully believe that the actor is the character they’re playing. One popular example is the Harry Potter movies, which cast regular British kids to play the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
However, this choice wouldn’t have been as useful for Wicked for one specific reason. The movie’s cast, including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, were crucial to its success. The importance of Elphaba and Glinda’s casting was likely obvious long before Wicked’s development. The women are not only the movie’s protagonists, but also have expectations to meet due to previous on-stage portrayals and their appearances in The Wizard of Oz. Overall, Elphaba and Glinda are the heart of Wicked, which makes this Chu decision even more surprising.
In the end, casting known actors in the lead roles likely helped to ensure the movie’s success. Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.