The director behind the musical blockbuster Wicked has revealed how leading lady Cynthia Erivo overly involved herself in the production of the film.
In a profile piece on Erivo for The Washington Post, Erivo admitted that she was on a mission during filming to understand every job on set – from the assistant director to the wind-machine operator.
Explaining her involvement, Erivo said, ‘That’s my commitment to myself to make sure that everyone feels seen and acknowledged.’
However, director Jon M. Chu admitted that the 37-year-old’s commitment on set was ‘a bit jarring at first’.
‘It’s like, “We got this. Don’t worry. You just figure out your own thing”,’ he said.
Despite his initial reluctance to accept Erivo’s forced involvement, Chu eventually came to appreciate her passion for the project.
‘Sometimes when you’re making a movie with such pressure, you forget the humanity of it,’ he said.
‘But by her reminding us, it only embedded itself into the DNA of the movie.’
The director behind the musical blockbuster Wicked has revealed how leading lady Cynthia Erivo overly involved herself in the production of the film
Director Jon Chu admitted that the 37-year-old’s commitment on set was ‘a bit jarring at first’
Erico recently called Chu her ‘captain’ in a gushing Instagram post about Wicked.
‘Thank you for your trust and your belief, your heart and imagination. You lead us with love and it’s all over that screen,’ she wrote.
Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande have repeatedly made headlines during their Wicked press tour for breaking down in tears during interviews.
The pair have been travelling the globe to promote their role in the long-awaited adaptation of the Broadway musical, and in a new interview, Erivo admitted they get ‘very emotional’ while talking about the film.
Speaking on the Heart Breakfast show, Amanda Holden told Erivo, ‘Every interview I’ve read Cynthia of you and Ariana, it just says that you end up in tears all the time.’
Erivo responded, ‘We do! And I think it’s because people have come in with such energy and they come in, their responses, their emotional responses come into the room with us, it’s the first time we’ve been able to talk about it, so we’re both reliving and rehashing all the things we’ve been through and the journey we’ve been on.
‘We can’t help it, we get very emotional about it,’ she added.
Holden replied: ‘Yeah, I don’t blame you. You went through COVID, you went through strikes, there was all kind of obstacles to overcome to make this movie.’
Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande have repeatedly made headlines during their Wicked press tour for breaking down in tears during interviews
Erivo then went on to say: ‘In fact, the very last song was filmed after the strike, so we were meant to finish and we couldn’t meet, ended up stopping and six months later finished with that.’
Wicked: Part One finally hit cinemas on Friday, and the second part is set to be released on November 21, 2025.
The two-part feature is adapted from the long-running and much-loved Broadway and West End musical.
Early reviews from cinema goers have been positive, with many saying the film brought them to tears and they will ‘never be the same’.
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