Ever since its release in November last year, Wicked has been the topic of conversation all across the Internet. The book to film adaptation raked in box office collections as well as positive critic reviews and the cast namely Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey are beyond grateful.
Jon M. Chu, the director of Wicked, put in a lot of effort, dedication, and time into making the fantasy musical as brilliant as the audience wanted it to be. Recently, he revealed that he told Ariana to get over her popular pop star persona to fit into the film as Glinda. Here’s what we know about it.
Did Jon M Chu Ask Ariana Grande To Overcome Her Popular Image?
During a conversation with Deadline, Jon disclosed that he demanded Grande to prove that she can go above and beyond her already known and famous image as a pop star. In the auditions, he asked her to overcome the “Ariana Grande image” to succeed as Glinda. The director added, “I know how hard it is. I’ve seen actors who do their first lead in a movie, and that’s not easy. That also takes skills and that takes actual craftsmanship.”
Jon went on to gush about Ariana and stated that every time she came in, she “was the most interesting person.” He described that she was funny as well as emotional, but most importantly, she understood the nuance of this character in a way that felt so real it wasn’t a performative version of it.” Jon kept calling her back for more, hoping the audience witnessed a discovery.
“They’re going to see things they’ve never seen in Ariana Grande before,” Jon was assured. Talking about Ariana and Cynthia as the lead duo of Glinda and Elphaba, he said that watching them together was exciting. The director is also open to working with both of them again on a good project.
Jon M Chu On Pitching Wicked & Believing In It
Jon also shed light on the process before the film started filming. He knew it would be easy to get overwhelmed by the expectations and pressures of the fans and the studio. “I already have a sort of resilience to that,” he said. The Crazy Rich Asians director added that he just followed his instincts and “knew how to manipulate the studio to get the right money” and resources.
He knew he had some serious gold in his hands because this was “an IP that’s never been out onto the screen.” Jon pitched the film by calling it “cinema legacy.” He accepted that a lot of money was going to go into the film but he was sure of what it could be. “Computers help in VFX and all things, but this film is not generated by VFX,” he told the executives then.
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