Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo has opened up about the unexpected approach the sequel will be taking to a major character from The Wizard of Oz, addressing the mystery about who will be playing the role of Dorothy for the upcoming film.
With Dororthy appearing in Act 2 of the stage play, fans have long been speculating about who would take over the role made famous by Judy Garland in the 1939 film for part two of Jon M Chu's Wicked musical adaptation.
According to Empire magazine, Dorothy's impact on the sequel will be huge, but she will not be featured as a main character and will appear mostly from the distance, or be seen from behind.
Speaking to the publication for their Wicked: For Good issue, Erivo explained the decision, saying she thinks it is a great way to protect Garland's legacy.
"I think that’s such a wonderful thing to do," the Elphaba actor said. "Because then everyone gets to keep the Dorothy that they know."
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Meanwhile, Glinda actor Ariana Grande explained how Dorothy's appearance will impact Elphaba and Glinda's story, calling her decision to direct Dorothy to the Emerald City via the yellow brick road "shady".
"I love the little bit of shadiness that Glinda has towards Dorothy," Grande quipped. "There’s a lot going on, and she doesn’t really have time to deal with this. She could have told her to take the Emerald City train! But she didn’t. That’s a little shady, Glinda! So I leaned all the way into Glinda sort of having an eye roll for Dorothy whenever she has to deal with her."
Speaking previously about what to expect from Dorothy, Chu explained to Vanity Fair how the character will feature more prominently in Wicked: For Good than she does in the stage version.
Related: Wicked: For Good's soundtrack has been revealed – here's how it's different to the musical
For those who have seen it, Dorothy appears only as a silhouette rather than a full character in the musical, which is a deliberate trick to keep the focus on Glinda and Elphaba's story.
Chu said: "We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does. We’re delicate. We’re delicate. We’re delicate."
Wicked: For Good is released in cinemas on 21 November.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
