Lin-Manuel Miranda has explained why he wasn't cast in Wicked alongside Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who took on the roles of Elphaba and Galinda.
Jon M Chu's Oscar nominated adaptation of the hit musical flew into cinemas in November and Miranda has revealed there was specific part he wanted to play. But Chu — who directed the film version of Miranda's In the Heights musical in 2021 — didn't cast him.
"This has gotten blown away out of proportion," Miranda said with a laugh on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 4.
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"In the opening number of the show, this one munchkin runs out and goes, 'Is it true you were her friend?' Because, man, I don’t know if you’ve seen a live production of Wicked, but sometimes they really put some sauce on the ball when they deliver that line."
The Hamilton star continued: "It’s where the story starts. So I was like, 'I really wanted to do that line, Jon.' And I was not cast. It would have been distracting."
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The role ultimately went to Kirsty Anne Shaw, who Miranda said was "great" at delivering the line.
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"The young woman who does it in the movie is great. She does it very earnestly," he said. "I would have done very Regina George, Mean Girls like, ‘Is it true you were her friend?’ Didn’t make the cut."
Wicked received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Erivo and Best Supporting Actress for Grande.
Part two, which is officially titled Wicked: For Good, will arrive in cinemas this November.
Wicked: For Good will be released on November 22, 2025. Wicked is available to buy or rent from Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft Store and more in the UK.
Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
