To get you fully prepped for the hotly anticipated sequel film — which will also see returning actors like Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Peter Dinklage, as well as Ozian newcomer Colman Domingo joining the cast as the voice of the Cowardly Lion — here are 50 fun factoids, behind-the-scenes tidbits and subtle Easter eggs found in the larger Wicked cinematic universe, including the 1939 Judy Garland classic The Wizard of Oz, the books that inspired both films, and famed stage productions of Wicked the musical. (You can also rewatch the first Wicked flick on Peacock to jog your memory.)
Spoiler warning: This story contains spoilers for Wicked: Part One and the larger Wicked universe.
50 Fun Facts About 'Wicked'
2. All of those tulips were totally real.
Director Jon M. Chu wanted to avoid visual effects wherever possible, which means that the production crew actually planted nine million colorful tulips throughout the Land of Oz for the Wicked film.
3. The love for Almira Gulch is felt throughout.
Wicked pays tribute to Almira Gulch, the OG Wicked Witch of the West—portrayed by actress Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz—several times throughout the movie, from Miss Cottle exclaiming “Just a slight gulch!” upon encountering Elphaba for the first time to Elphaba’s hands recreating the shadow of Gulch’s famous silhouette.
9th November 1938: Margaret Hamilton (1902-1985) in the role of Miss Gulch, The Wicked Witch of the West, in the musical 'The Wizard of Oz', directed by Victor Fleming for MGM. (Photo by Virgil Apger/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)Virgil Apger/Getty Images
5. That green makeup required just as much effort to wash off.
That same green skin paint took 45 minutes to remove after each day of filming.
6. Elphaba's name has a hidden meaning.
The name Elphaba itself is a reference to L. Frank Baum, the author of the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel from 1900. (Keep saying “L.F. Baum” over and over and it’ll click!)
Universal Pictures
In the film, Glinda’s mother is played by British actress Alice Fearn, who famously portrayed Elphaba in Wicked in the West End.
8. The youngest actress to ever play Elphaba is...
9. Fiyero's future self is foreshadowed in Wicked.
Fiyero’s future as — spoiler alert! — the Scarecrow is foreshadowed throughout Wicked the movie: Elphaba tells him to “get stuffed!” when she encounters him in the forest and he dances among cornstalk motifs during his big "Dancing Through Life" musical number.
Jonathan Bailey in "Dancing Through Life" in WickedGiles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande insisted on forgoing pre-recordings and instead performed the musical’s songs live during filming "in solidarity with the women on Broadway who've done this eight shows a week,” as they revealed in a November 2024 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
11. Wicked alums helped soundtrack the movie.
During NBC's Wicked: One Wonderful Night special, Jonathan Bailey revealed that his audition tape for Fiyero was taped in just a handful of minutes while he was in his dressing room waiting to go onstage in a West End production.
13. The original slippers were silver, not ruby.
In the movie, Elphaba’s sister Nessarose is given a pair of silver slippers from her father —they’re the same shoes that Dorothy wears in the original 1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel written by author L. Frank Baum. The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz changed the shoes to ruby slippers to show off the film’s Technicolor qualities.
In total, it has been reported that the Wicked costume team created over 1,000 costumes across Wicked: Part One and Wicked: For Good, with Glinda and Elphaba alone having about 25 dedicated looks apiece.
15. The Yellow Brick Road, and most of the movie's sets, are real.
16. Ama Clutch gets a shout-out.
In the movie, Glinda’s suite neighbor is named Ama Clutch, which is a reference to the original 1995 Wicked novel by author Gregory Maguire—in the book, Ann Clutch is Glinda’s school chaperone.
Demi Moore net worth - US actress Demi Moore attends The Gothams 34th Annual Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on December 2, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
18. Even the spell books at Shiz were real.
Textbooks and spell books featured in scenes like “Dancing Through Life” aren’t mere empty props—their pages were actually designed and written by the Wicked production team.
19. This actress played both Elphaba and Glinda onstage.
British star Louise Dearman is the only actress to portray both Glinda and Elphaba full-time in the West End production of Wicked—she played the former from March 2010 to December 2011 and returned to play the latter in October 2012.
Cynthia Erivo in Wicked: For GoodUniversal Pictures
Related: How Cynthia Erivo Prepared for Filming Her ‘Wicked: For Good’ Scenes (Exclusive)
21. Wicked: For Good will musically mix things up from the original theater show.
22. Fiyero's horse previously acted opposite Jonathan Bailey.
Jonathan Bailey had a previous working relationship with his horse from Wicked—the actor personally requested the animal, a Friesian named Jack, after working with him for six months on Netflix’s Bridgerton.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: Ariana Grande attends the "Wicked" New York Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Marleen Moise/WireImage)Marleen Moise/WireImage
Related: Why Casting Ariana Grande for ‘Wicked’ Was Such a Risk
24. Bow's metallic transformation is teased in Wicked.
25. Who the heck is Oscar Diggs?
Before he was known as the Wizard of Oz, Jeff Goldblum’s character was simply Oscar Diggs from Omaha, Nebraska, a backstory teased throughout Wicked’s production design via signs and posters throughout Oz.
Getty Images
Glinda’s iconically pink and heavily beaded bubble dress from Wicked: Part One took 225 hours and 137 pattern pieces to make.
27. Here's why Fiyero is immune to poppy-induced slumber.
When Elphaba used poppies to put a room full of her fellow classmates to sleep, the ruse didn't affect Fiyero. Lovers of The Wizard of Oz will remember that, unlike the rest of the characters, the Tin Man doesn’t fall asleep in the poppy fields, foreshadowing Fiyero’s future.
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
Wicked fans went wild when theater icons and OG Wicked actresses Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel — who originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway, respectively— showed up for a cameo in the film adaptation.
29. And the musical's writers were also given a moment in the spotlight.
30. "Dancing Through Life" honors a dancing legend.
The memorable spinning library sequence from “Dancing Through Life” was an homage to the 1951 movie musical Royal Wedding, which features legendary performer Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling.
The Wizard of Oz at SphereCourtesy of Sphere
Nessarose’s striped socks in Wicked: Part One nod to her future status as the Wicked Witch of the East — Dorothy spots the witch’s striped legs crushed beneath her flying house in The Wizard of Oz.
32. Ariana Grande's name looks a little different in the Wicked credits.
Jackie Burns is the longest-running Elphaba actress on Broadway; Katie Rose Clarke is the longest-running Glinda performer.
34. Cynthia needed prosthetics for a surprising reason to play Elphaba.
Cynthia Erivo had to sport prosthetic ears while playing Elphaba in the Wicked movie, to camouflage her own heavily pierced earlobes.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked: Part OneUniversal Pictures
Though not actually functional, a life-size Emerald City Express was custom-built for Wicked the film; it reportedly weighs 16 tons and stretches 106 feet.
36. Rainbows reference Oz's most famous ballad.
37. So, who else auditioned for Elphaba?
Several talented starlets reportedly came out to audition to play Elphaba, a role that was filled by multihyphenate star Cynthia Erivo. Among those willing to go green were Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, Pitch Perfect actress Anna Kendrik, pop singer Jessie J., Emmy winner Cristin Milioti and The Color Purple’s Phylicia Pearl Mpasi.
Judy Garland and Toto in 'The Wizard of Oz'After Elphaba rescues the baby lion, she puts the animal in her bike basket and rides away; this is a clear homage to Dorothy’s pet dog Toto.
39. And, yes, that lion is exactly who you think it is.
40. Ariana Grande wanted "Popular" to be perfectly faithful to the musical.
Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz wanted to give Glinda’s “Popular” number a hip-hop update for the film, but star Ariana Grande was passionately against the move. Schwartz revealed to Variety that the actress told him: “Absolutely not, don't do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.”
Ariana Grande in Wicked: Part OneUniversal Pictures
42. Lady Gaga almost played Elphaba.
Long before Jon M. Chu’s 2024 version of Wicked, another film adaptation of the musical was in the works back in 2016, this time directed by Stephen Daldry (The Crown) and starring Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga, as Elphaba. Scheduling conflicts meant that production never got past the planning phase.
43. And Shawn Mendes was almost Fiyero.
Opposite Lady Gaga’s Elphaba in that 2016 Wicked was Shawn Mendes as Fiyero, an inside source told Page Six.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 10: (L-R) Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Kevin Jonas perform onstage during the Jonas Brothers: JONAS20 Greetings From Your Hometown tour kick off at Met Life Stadium on August 10, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
45. They are stormy references in Nessarose's silver slippers.
Nessarose’s silver slippers channel the tornado that eventually brings Dorothy Gale to the Land of Oz. As Costume designer Paul Tazewell told Forbes: "The heel swirls up, is crystallized, and then wraps around the foot with spiral waves encased in Nessarose's [Marissa Bode's] feet. It's an iconic piece that is reflective of the ruby slipper and the importance that we give it."
46. Here's why there's no rain in the Ozian forecast.
Legend has it that the Wicked Witch of the West, and therefore Elphaba, is allergic to water. Thankfully for her, Wicked: Part One establishes that the Land of Oz is currently experiencing a drought.
Ariana GrandeSophy Holland for Universal Pictures
Glinda’s signature pink frock is featured in both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked: Part One but onstage, the gown is instead colored a pastel blue. This switch-up is reportedly to avoid any copyright issues between the theater production and the 1939 film.
48. Wicked the movie won a lot of awards so far.
Marissa Bode, who portrays Nessarose in the Wicked films, actually uses a wheelchair in real life. It’s the first time that an actress with a disability has played the role.
50. Ariana Grande didn't just audition for Glinda, but Elphaba too.
Ariana Grande revealed on the Sentimental Men podcast in November 2024 that she had auditioned for not only Glinda but also Elphaba. "I had an inkling in my heart always that it was going to be Glinda, but I was hearing really mixed things from people who were like, 'Oh, they want you to read for both,' " the singer said. "I was like, I guess that's because they don't know what my voice is — and maybe they think vocally I might be better-suited for Elphaba. I secretly knew I was only meant for Glinda."
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