The movie adaptation of Wicked made history by righting a longstanding wrong – one that should have been put right long ago – by casting Marissa Bode as Elphaba's younger sister Nessarose, making her the first-ever disabled actor to take on the role, including in Wicked's various stage productions.
This historical moment was broadened even further as not only did they cast an authentically disabled actor to play the present-day Nessarose, they also went just that little bit further to cast the younger version of Nessarose with six-year-old Cesily Collette Taylor, a fellow wheelchair user.
Within the last year, since the first part of the acclaimed adaptation was released, there has been a knock-on effect on the Broadway stage too with Jenna Bainbridge, an ambulatory wheelchair user, having been cast earlier this year.
As well as this incredible forward movement in the continued bid for accurate casting of disabled characters, there is now being further championing for this to roll over not just to other productions of Wicked, but for other upcoming TV shows and movies in order to make the media industry a far more inclusive and accessible industry for the current and next generation of disabled creatives.
Wicked: For Good goes further by improving a pivotal moment for Nessarose by having her levitate rather than walk after Elphaba enchants the ruby silver slippers. Ultimately, it might not do enough with Nessarose, but that shouldn't discount its importance in terms of disabled representation.
In a way that is not too dissimilar to the first movie, Nessarose – despite being an integral part of the two-part movie's overarching story – has very few scenes, especially those where she is front and centre, and also very few lines. You might argue this is still the case in the musical's second act, but given that the movie expands the story, it's a missed opportunity to do more with Nessarose before her heartbreaking end.
What to Read Next
But while she may have lacked dialogue and scenes, Nessarose still makes an impact and Bode's impressive performance marks out just how much time has passed since Wicked. We immediately say goodbye to the more innocent and demure version of Nessarose, the wise, talented and, most of all, underestimated student at Shiz University, and instead greet the character as if she is someone entirely new.
In some ways, she is. The most noticeable difference, however, of Nessarose's character is not how she holds herself, but instead in the showing of her going back on the beliefs that she had seemed so steadfast in before. Her words are sharper, her stature indicative of the power-hungry mentality that she now uses in a position of not just power, but control.
The new presentation of Nessarose is almost unsettling. Gone is the Nessarose that the audience had begun to know and love from the first movie, leaving someone almost unrecognisable in her wake – someone with a hunger for power and desperation to continue her mission of removing herself from her sister's shadow.
Her journey in Wicked: For Good sees Elphaba grant what Nessarose thought was her greatest want in life, her truest wish. She so quickly learns that the idea of happiness, success and fulfilment is not centred upon ability or disability, but on openness, on willingness, on fairness.
She felt as though her sister, and the rest of the world, owed her because she was never given the opportunity to experience life outside of her chair. However, as the movie somehow managed to emphasise in such a short scene, it is shown that you are never owed anything in life – it is something that simply has to be earned.
Unfortunately, as a disabled person, it's disappointing Nessarose's desperation to do what almost felt like 'escape' from her wheelchair. Even with the change from walking to levitating, the wheelchair comes across as more of a confinement and hindrance than something that can bring a whole new world of independence, something that I had personally thought was shown in Wicked as her wheelchair was what enabled her to be able to attend Shiz University in the first place.
If you have also seen the stage show of Wicked, you may have also noticed that there was something significantly different about Nessarose's character: her lessened villainy. Now, this could have been done purposefully as there is a fine line between a well-done villain who is disabled versus a character whose disability makes them villainous, and there has historically been a long line of making disabled characters truly evil in a way that is troublesome.
Still, though, it was a little bit disappointing to see Wicked: For Good fall into the trap of erasing the intensity of her true wickedness, of them showing how, between the two siblings, the wickedness lived far deeper and was far more intense in the one that everyone was willing to view as innocent due to her disability.
Regardless, Marissa Bode embodied Nessarose in a way that I wished and hoped that she would following her initial casting announcement. This may have been her first feature-length on-screen performance, but there is little doubt that she will be a name that we see pop up on our screens more and more.
It's not just that her casting was groundbreaking for the role of Nessarose, but that Bode went on to deliver a performance of a strong-willed, intelligent and fierce character that captured the attention even in a relatively short amount of time. Bode came into this industry with her head held high, wheels first, and that is something that is sure to be remembered and revered.
Wicked: For Good will likely go on to be remembered more for its box-office records than anything else. But it also deserves to go down in history for its accessibility, its accurate casting of a disabled role and its commitment to proving just how and why accurate casting is so important. It was a historical moment done so well, and I know that, because of these movies, I have been changed for good.
For more on Wicked: For Good, check out:
• Wicked: For Good review
• Who plays Dorothy in Wicked: For Good?
• When will Wicked: For Good be available to stream?
• Wicked: For Good's new songs fix a long-running major issue of the musical
• 5 major changes Wicked: For Good made to the original story
• The best Wicked: For Good gifts and merchandise
• Why Wicked: For Good's ruby slippers aren't ruby slippers at all
Wicked: For Good is out now in cinemas.
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
