Let’s Speak About How These Depraved Cameos Got here To Be

These Wicked cameos shocked followers of the unique Broadway musical with a show-stopping second that was greater than blink and also you’ll miss it. If like us, you’re OG cast die-hards, it was extra like a “blink away all of the tears” expertise if you happen to occurred to catch the movie over its opening weekend.

Depraved director Jon M. Chu revealed how he was capable of produce a magic trick like no different: sneak in unique Broadway Elphaba Idina Menzel (Frozen) and Galinda Kristin Chenoweth (Descendants) to function in an prolonged and up to date model of “One Quick Day,” the music wherein the witch besties (performed within the film by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, respectively) arrive within the Emerald Metropolis.

“The query for us was, how, and the way a lot are they keen to do in it, and the way a lot can the story itself deal with it? As a result of they’re such iconic individuals and particularly to those roles,” Chu instructed the Hollywood Reporter. In his film, Menzel and Chenoweth seem as troupe actresses portraying “the smart ones” of Ounceswho musically carry out the historical past of the Grimmerie guide of magic and the way the Wizard got here into the possession of such a strong artifact.

“It was like a mania. [We said], ‘Let’s make them the largest stars of Oz. Let’s make them this iconic legends of Ounceson the stage present, and allow them to current the historical past of Oz. They’d be the smart girls of Oz.’ It simply appeared to make sense. And [composer] Steven Schwartz—it might need really come from him from my reminiscence—mentioned, ‘I do know precisely the way to do it’ as a result of we wanted some details about the story of the historical past of Oz, plus it will be them, so it will be extra significant.”

Chu recounted how they shot underneath the quilt of a wet night time in London, “the second they sang the songs and bought their iconic moments in that, it was stunning. And what was cool in regards to the day was, I feel it was actually therapeutic for everyone. … I mentioned, ‘That is in honor of you. This complete us making this film is an honor of you as a result of we would like you to expertise what we bought to expertise after we first noticed it, after I went to the theater earlier than it went into Broadway, what it felt like to look at Elphaba and Glinda steal our hearts, you might have by no means bought to expertise that. And now we get to try this for you.’”

It was transferring for Depraved‘s new stars to witness. “Ari is crying the entire time. Cynthia was crying the entire time. There was quite a lot of love on that set that day. And so I’m so grateful for them to return on the market. I used to be not concerned with the deal-making. I don’t know what it took to get them there. All I knew is that they had been down and keen. We simply had at some point to do it.” And it was well worth the massively saved secret, I brazenly wept at their look and cheered when Menzel did her signature “Defying Gravity” belt and Chenoweth her Glinda excessive notes.

Winnie Holzman, the musical’s guide author, additionally seems within the scene as an Emerald Metropolis Ozian resident—and Stephen Schwartz performs the announcer guard who tells Glinda and Elphie, “The Wizard will see you now!”

Depraved Half One is now taking part in in theaters. Half Two arrives November 21, 2025.

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