Behind the scenes of "Wicked Part One"! Discover the unscripted magic that made it into the final cut, from Ariana Grande's hilarious improv to Cynthia Erivo's spontaneous moments that brought extra charm to this magical musical adaptation.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00That's a choice.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for some of our favorite moments
00:08from Wicked and its deleted scenes where the cast conjured up their lines on the spot.
00:13And it was just funny that whole sequence is just made up on the spot, it was just hilarious.
00:20Number 10.
00:21Madame Morrible's thunderous clap.
00:23Leading into the climactic part one finale, Elphaba exposes the wizard for who he really
00:28is, a total fraud.
00:42She grabs the grimmery and makes a break for it, leading Madame Morrible to jump in with
00:47some quick damage control.
00:49She approaches the newly winged monkeys, commanding their attention with a thunderous double clap.
01:03According to Michelle Yeoh, director Jon Amchu simply gave her the direction to quote, take
01:08charge of the room, and left the rest up to her.
01:11Needless to say, she understood the assignment, and then some.
01:24Look you don't become the revered headmistress of an institution like Shiz without perfecting
01:28the art of owning a room, or scaring everyone into paying attention.
01:33Number 9.
01:34Glinda pops out of earshot.
01:36In a parallel universe, Ariana Grande would've made her name as a comedy improviser superstar.
01:48She also showed us how well she understood her character, sprinkling in the most Glinda-fied
01:53ad-libs.
01:54One such example is just after No One Mourns the Wicked as she prepares to fly away in
01:58her bubble.
01:59Before she can take off, a munchkin asks her about her friendship with Elphaba, only it
02:04turns out that her bubble is pretty soundproof.
02:16During an interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Grande revealed that her line there was something
02:20she came up with off-camera.
02:23Chu liked it so much that he encouraged her to repeat it during an official take.
02:32Number 8.
02:33Glinda's Dust Dance.
02:35Because there has been so much rumor and speculation, let us set the record straight.
02:39Yes, Grande had rehearsed this dance before filming.
02:42This moment marks Glinda's attempt to connect with Elphaba, bridging their worlds through
02:47a shared language, and what they create is nothing short of magical.
03:00Part of that is thanks to Grande, who avoided committing the choreography to memory so that
03:04the moment looked and felt real as if she was actually attempting these moves for the
03:08very first time.
03:24Then there's Elphaba's tear that Glinda wipes away in a poignant touch.
03:29Although it reportedly first happened in rehearsals, they never thought they'd be so lucky for
03:33lightning to strike twice.
03:45Number 7.
03:46Give Me My Leg.
03:48Just before defying gravity, Elphaba and Glinda try to make a quick getaway from the wizard's
03:52palace.
03:53As guards close in, they scramble into a hot air balloon, only for one guard to grab Glinda's
03:58leg and pull her down.
04:00In classic Glinda style, she snaps at him.
04:11It's such a simple, funny moment, and pure Grande.
04:15As she later shared, it was an off-the-cuff line that she didn't think much about, but
04:18it made her co-star break.
04:34Cynthia Erivo found it so hilarious that she insisted they redo the take to make sure audiences
04:39could enjoy the moment just as much as she had.
04:41Sometimes it's the little improvised touches that steal the show.
04:56Number 6.
04:57Kicking Off a Popular Dance Move.
04:59According to choreographer Christopher Scott, Grande developed much of Glinda's physicality
05:04herself, truly becoming the role from the moment she entered the room.
05:08As a wicked superfan, she brought out those little quirks that made her Glinda unique,
05:13while still paying respect to those who've played her before.
05:28Grande also shared how a moment from her first audition ended up in the final movie.
05:32When I see Elfie's shoes, I said, ew, I'll show you what shoes to wear, and said, whoa,
05:37and he liked it.
05:38And I remember him pointing it out to me and being like, that, more, play, like, I love
05:42that, that's so fun, please.
05:44This isn't her only personal touch on the number either.
05:47Scott recalled how one day, while Grande was just playing around on set, she casually threw
05:51in this jaw-dropping high kick.
05:54Scott was so blown away, he immediately knew it had to make the final cut.
06:08Number 5.
06:09Glinda Gets On Board.
06:11Elphaba and Glinda's adventures in the Emerald City mark a pivotal moment in the narrative,
06:15and in the movie, it all begins with a train ride.
06:22Although this is meant to be Elphaba's big moment, Glinda naturally steals the scene.
06:27As the train starts to pull away, Elphaba extends a last-minute invite.
06:32Although Glinda plays the role of the humble friend to perfection, it doesn't take her
06:36long to change her tune.
06:46Come on, who's gonna pass up the opportunity to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz?
06:51It's so funny and has since become iconic, but would you believe this was another of
06:55Grande's off-the-cuff comedic gems?
06:57And one of her favorites.
07:09Number 4.
07:10A Man.
07:11The Wizard might not have been ready for Elphaba to bring a friend along, but it turns out
07:15Glinda wasn't prepared to meet the man behind the curtain either.
07:18When the friends first encounter the Wizard, they're pretty intimidated by the giant mechanical
07:23head.
07:24Who wouldn't be?
07:37But after Elphaba introduces herself, the Wizard decides to make a more personal entrance.
07:42As he steps out from behind the curtain, Glinda quickly points out,
07:47Again, this was totally Grande.
07:50It's just two words, but the way she delivers them is so true to character and surprisingly
07:55funny.
07:56Grande has said that this was another of her favorite improv moments.
08:08Number 3.
08:09An Unscripted Wicked Wink.
08:11Defying Gravity arguably sets the bar for Act 1 finales.
08:25Yet the movie ups the ante, extending the number and pulling audiences even deeper into
08:30the theatrical spectacle and wide range of emotions in play.
08:34In one quieter moment, Glinda and Elphaba realize this is goodbye.
08:54Not ready to face that quite yet, Glinda walks off to find a cape for her trembling friend.
09:00As she ties it around Elphaba, the latter gives her a simple wink.
09:03Erivo shared that she was only directed to comfort Glinda, and the wink and smile were
09:07her own idea.
09:24It's a small gesture, yet it says so much about their connection.
09:29Number 2.
09:30Bowen Yang.
09:31Just Bowen Yang.
09:32SNL star Bowen Yang was cast as Glinda's friend Fanny, a character from Gregory Maguire's
09:37novel who was gender swapped for the movie.
09:49During an appearance on The Tonight Show, he shared that Chu often encouraged him to
09:53improvise.
09:54What he didn't expect was that much of his off-script dialogue would actually make it
09:58into the final cut.
10:12That reveal alone gave us a reason to go back and re-watch the film yet again.
10:17Interestingly, one line that gained traction didn't even make it into the film.
10:21In a deleted scene, Glinda reunites with her school friends and asks them how they've
10:25been.
10:26This response really seemed to resonate with the fans.
10:36Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:40about our latest videos.
10:42You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:46If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:52Number 1.
10:53Some Wonderfully Good Improv.
10:55Being popular, Glinda pauses to show Elphaba some of those flounces she mentioned earlier.
11:11First she teaches Elphaba to toss her hair and then tries to conjure up a ball gown.
11:15All too hilarious results.
11:17In a red carpet interview, Erivo shared that the whole sequence was improvised.
11:21And now, thanks to released deleted scenes, we get to see some of the bits that didn't
11:34make the cut, and they're absolutely hysterical.
11:56Grande was encouraged to have fun with it, and she definitely took that to heart.
12:00Cinematographer Alice Brooks said that they had so many takes of Glinda waving her wand,
12:04each funnier than the last, they didn't even know how they'd pick which one to use.
12:25Were you surprised to learn any of these moments were abraca-ad-libbed?
12:28Let us know in the comments.
12:37Do you agree with our picks?
12:38Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
12:41And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.