Home / Arts and Entertainment / Wicked's Casting Secrets: Elphaba & Glinda's Journey
Wicked's Casting Secrets: Elphaba & Glinda's Journey
8 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Casting directors searched for over two years for Wicked's film adaptation.
- Elphaba's audition showed immense strength and vulnerability.
- Galinda's audition ended with a flourish, sealing her casting.
The casting process for the "Wicked" film adaptation, helmed by director Jon M. Chu, was an extensive two-year endeavor. Casting directors Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Little Canfield meticulously searched for hundreds of actors and dancers, ensuring a vast and deep talent pool for every role, from the lead Elphaba and Glinda to minor characters.
Telsey described Cynthia Erivo's audition for Elphaba as a powerful display of strength and vulnerability, akin to Joan of Arc. Tiffany Little Canfield recalled Ariana Grande's final audition moment, a distinctive Galinda-esque flourish of removing her eyelashes, which confirmed their confidence in her portrayal of Glinda.
The casting team also focused on subtle world-building, differentiating characters from Emerald City to Munchkinland through the ensemble. Despite COVID-related limitations on dancer numbers, they adapted by creatively scheduling auditions to find the perfect fit for hundreds of performers, utilizing Broadway material for audition scenes.
