13 celebrities who almost got chosen
Lady Gaga was reportedly the first choice to play Elphaba in a 2016 version of the film directed by Stephen Daldry. A source told Page Six: “They had meetings, both of them, about the character and who she would be. [Gaga] He basically got cast in his version, and then it flopped.” Then in 2020, Stephen left the project due to scheduling conflicts.
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That same source also said that Shawn Mendes was in the running to play Fiyero.
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Amanda Seyfried shared that she auditioned to play Glinda. At the same time, he was filming his Hulu miniseries, The Dropout, for which he won an Emmy. “I dream I’m still auditioning for Wicked,” he said.
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She explained: “Last summer, while playing Elizabeth[Holmesin[HolmesonThe desertion]on the weekends she was auditioning in person to play Glinda in the film version of Wicked – because I wanted it so much that I thought, ‘You know what? Yes, I have to play the last scene of The desertion on Tuesday. I’ll give you my Sunday.’ I literally went above and beyond while playing the most difficult role of my life. But I think it also taught me how far I’ve come as a singer, which is something I really wanted to show. Because since then Les MisI thought: I need to be better. I need to do better. So whatever happens in terms of musicals, I’m finally ready.”
Dove Cameron revealed that the audition process for Wicked was “one of the longest processes” she’s ever gone through. He didn’t explicitly say what role he auditioned for, but he has said in the past that Glinda was the “role of a lifetime.”
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Cristin Milioti revealed that she auditioned for Elphaba. She had two weeks to prepare and was obsessed with the final riff of “Defying Gravity” the entire time. When it came time to sing it at his audition, he said, “I opened my mouth wide, took a deep breath. The sound that escaped me is something I will hear on my deathbed.”
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“I will never stop hearing what I did in that room,” he added. “It was disgusting… When you hear the coyotes attacking in groups, it was horrible.”
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi revealed that she auditioned for the film. In a YouTube video posted to her channel, she spoke through tears about how this film made her feel seen as a black woman and hopes it can do the same for other young women. “I’m acting like I’m in on this, and I’m not,” he said. “I auditioned, I didn’t get it. Okay, Cynthia’s going to be, oh, she’s going to be stellar.”
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Nick Jonas auditioned for Fiyero and added that he was actually competing alongside his brother Joe. “We’ve never talked about this publicly, but we both auditioned for the same role: Joe and I,” Nick said. “Actually, it was for Wicked.”
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Joe Jonas said it was strange auditioning against his brother, but in the end he wanted one of them to be chosen. He said he told Nick, “Go in and kill him. It has to be one of us.”
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Renée Rapp revealed that she auditioned to play Glinda. “Ariana is going to be, can I curse? It’s going to be fucking amazing. I’m so excited,” she said on Watch What Happens Live.
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Ryan McCartan auditioned to play Fiyero. He previously played the role on Broadway in the show’s 15th anniversary cast. On The Stage Door podcast, he said: “Jon [M. Chu]you didn’t choose me for the movie, even though I worked very hard. It’s okay, no hard feelings. “I confirmed that I auditioned… One of the many, many things I haven’t booked.”
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Spencer Sutherland confirmed that he received a “double callback” to play Fiyero. “I thought it was a great audition,” he said. “When I got a couple of calls, I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is real.'” He said he didn’t know how many other actors were also being considered at the time.
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Mean Girls star Taylor Louderman auditioned for the film and took to Instagram when news of the casting finally became public. “Yyyy, did I even audition or did I think I had a chance?!” she wrote on her IG Story, along with a screenshot of Deadline’s casting announcement. She later shared a candid selfie with a text message that read, “This business… you can’t care too much about the role you’re auditioning for (or you might get hurt and won’t come back), but you have to care enough to give it your all. I cared too much this time. I hope it’s okay to share this.”
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Finally, Ariana Grande was obviously cast as Glinda in the film, but she also auditioned to play Elphaba. He explained that he sang for both roles in his audition, but “secretly knew” that he was a better fit for Glinda.
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“I always had a feeling in my heart that it was going to be Glinda, but I was hearing really conflicting things from people saying, ‘Oh, they want you to read for both of them,'” he said on the Sentimental Men podcast. “I thought, I guess it’s because they don’t know what my voice is, and maybe they think that vocally I might be better suited for Elphaba. I secretly knew it was only meant for Glinda.”