Defying gravity, and beyond!The first Wicked movie and the Wicked: For Good sequel assembled an exceptional cast of actors like Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey to play beloved characters like Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero on the big screen. With Jon M. Chu attached as the director, this two-part cinematic event is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and the hit Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book).As Ozians from all over the world wait for Wicked part two officially titled Wicked: For Good this feels like the perfect time to look back on the Broadway icons who originated these roles in the hit musical production by Stephen Schwartz, all while noting how different they are from the Hollywood stars who turned this story into an even bigger pop culture phenomenon through the movies.Elphaba Idina Menzel vs. Cynthia ErivoElphaba Thropp, otherwise referred to as the Wicked Witch of the West, is the main character of Gregory Maguire's Wicked novel, Stephen Schwartz's hit Broadway musical, and the Jon M. Chu-directed live-action films. Unlike the classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz film that portrays this character as a nameless, green, evil witch, Wicked reframes the story and explains why she's become this way.The wickedly talented Idina Menzel originated Elphaba on Broadway and transformed the green witch into one of the most beloved fictional characters in history. In the movies, Elphaba was played by another creative powerhouse, Cynthia Erivo, who brought her own experiences and perspectives to the characterization.Idina MenzelBesides originating the character of Elphaba on Broadway, Idina Menzel is also a legend for playing Maureen Johnson in Rent and voicing Elsa in the hit Disney animated franchise Frozen.In 2022, the Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and Broadway icon was officially named a "Disney Legend." This year, Menzel also graced an Out cover star in the "Broadway Divas" issue alongside other powerhouse performers.Cynthia ErivoBefore starring as Elphaba in the Wicked movies, Cynthia Erivo had already won an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony for her work in The Color Purple musical on Broadway. Erivo is only an Oscar away from EGOT-ing, and was also named Icon of the Year on the 2024 Out100 list.Erivo released her latest studio album, I Forgive You, earlier this year. She also made headlines for playing Jesus Christ in a Hollywood Bowl run of Jesus Christ Superstar. As this era of her career comes to an end following Wicked: For Good, Erivo is already set to play Dracula and 22 other characters in a new stage production of Bram Stoker's Dracula on the West End.Glinda Kristin Chenoweth vs. Ariana GrandeThe Wicked books and musical first introduce this character as Galinda Upland. Over the course of the story, however, she finesses her way into high society, renames herself as Glinda, and rebrands as the Good Witch.Kristin Chenoweth originated Glinda on Broadway's Wicked, and the challenge of turning her into a likable character despite her eccentric quirks and frivolous aspirations cannot be understated. Ariana Grande took on that challenge for the Wicked movies, and clearly also brought to life a three-dimensional character that audiences will connect with for years to come.Kristin ChenowethFrom stage productions likeYou're a Good Man, Charlie Brown to TV shows like Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth is the winner of a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. She is also a legitimate Broadway icon who's brought to life a long list of iconic characters throughout her career, including Wicked's very own Glinda a role that she originated on Broadway alongside Menzel's Elphaba.Ariana GrandeAriana Grande has been one of the world's most popular (pun intended) and successful pop stars for the past couple of decades.Between releasing Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 songs like "Thank U, Next," "7 Rings," "Yes, And?," and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)," Grande has publicly declared her deep love of Wicked numerous times. She's also reiterated how much it means to her to play Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025).Fiyero Norbert Leo Butz vs. Jonathan BaileyFiyero Tigelaar is the gorgeous, hilarious, and wealthy heartthrob of the Wicked universe. He isn't really a studious man, but he loves to have fun and feels his emotions very deeply.Norbert Leo Butz originated the role of Fiyero when the Wicked musical opened on Broadway. In subsequent years, Butz won two Tony Awards for his performances as Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and as Carl Hanratty in Catch me If You Can.The Wicked movies cast Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, and it's hard to think of a better actor to bring this character to the big screen. As an out gay actor, Bailey also brought even more queerness to the Wicked universe, which feels correct.Norbert Leo ButzThe bulk of Norbert Leo Butz's career has been in theater. Of note, the actor received critical acclaim for his performances in 2002's Thou Shalt Not, 2005's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 2011's Catch Me If You Can, and 2018's My Fair Lady. He was nominated for a Tony Award in all of those four productions.In the last few years, Butz has gained attention for his work beyond theater as well. For instance, his performances as Bill Belichick on American Sports Story and as Alan Lomax in the Timothe Chalamet-starring biopic of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, were well received by critics and fans alike.Jonathan BaileyJonathan Bailey is one of the biggest Hollywood stars on the planet. He's come a long way from his breakout role on Netflix's Bridgerton, and certainly gained some critical acclaim for his performance on Showtime's Fellow Travelers.Besides playing the most irresistible and charismatic version of Fiyero we've ever seen, Bailey was also cast as a main star in Jurassic World: Rebirth alongside A-listers like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. No big deal, ya know? With his imminent return to Oz through Wicked: For Good, the actor is redefining what it means to be an out actor who can still play all kinds of characters just like his straight counterparts.Nessarose Michelle Federer vs. Marissa BodeEven though Nessarose Thropp Elphaba's sister goes through very drastic changes between the original Wicked novel and the Broadway musical, this character is still a young woman who has a disability and needs Elphaba's assistance from time to time.Michelle Federer originated Nessarose in the original Broadway cast of the Wicked musical. In the movies, it was up to newcomer Marissa Bode to embody the role as an actress who also uses a wheelchair for mobility in her day-to-day life. This is a character with a much more significant presence in Wicked: For Good, and fans are excited to see Bode showing this very different side to Nessa.Boq Christopher Fitzgerald vs. Ethan SlaterBoq is a much more significant character in Maguire's Wicked books. Overall, Boq is a dedicated student at Shiz University who hails from Munchkinland and develops a serious crush on Galinda. Even if his fate is ultimately the same in both the novels and the musical, readers get to know Boq much more than they do on the Broadway show.The stage musical version of Boq was originated by Christopher Fitzgerald. Over the course of his career, Fitzgerald received Tony nominations for his roles in Young Frankenstein, Finian's Rainbow, and Waitress.Ethan Slater, who was also known for his Broadway credits such as SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical and Spamalot before starring in Wicked, reprised his role as Boq in Wicked: For Good and will definitely be featured more heavily in the sequel due to what happens at this point in the story.Madame Morrible Carole Shelley vs. Michelle YeohMadame Morrible, the headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University, is well, horrible! There are many layers to this character building a connection with Elphaba, being linked to powerful people in the Land of Oz, and pushing her own self-interests over the course of the story.The late, great Carole Shelley originated Madame Morrible in the stage production of Wicked. She was also well known for her performances in productions like The Elephant Man, Stepping Out, and Billy Elliot.To pull off such a grandiose and wonderfully sneaky character in the Wicked films, producers went all out and cast Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Everything Everywhere All At Once) in the role. Talk about a perfect choice!The Wizard of Oz Joel Grey vs. Jeff GoldblumThe truth, fantasy, and mythology surrounding the Wizard of Oz has been built for 125 years since L. Frank Baum's original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published.Joel Grey played the Wizard of Oz in the original Broadway cast of Wicked. At the time, the actor was best known for his performance as the Emcee in Cabaret in the stage musical and in the film adaptation which earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award.Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz in the Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025) films has turned out to be another pitch-perfect casting choice for the character, and the sequel has even more chaos and screentime for the actor to let loose.Doctor Dillamond William Youmans vs. Peter DinklageWilliam Youmans has had an incredible Broadway career. Over the years, the actor originated roles in various productions ranging from John Jacob Astor in Titanic: The Musical, to Alcindoro in La Bohme, to Sir Richard Bingham in The Pirate Queen, to Mr. Bascombe in Carousel, to the original Doctor Dillamond in the Wicked musical.Even though the Wicked movie featured an animated version of Doctor Dillamond, casting producers made an inspired choice by casting Peter Dinklage as the voice actor behind the Animal professor at Shiz University. Dinklage, one of Hollywood's most beloved actors since starring as Tyrion Lannister on HBO's Game of Thrones, carried over all that goodwill into Dillamond, making it easy for viewers to connect with the character right away.The 2004 Tony Awards were very shady toward Wicked.Wicked received 10 nominations at the 58th Tony Awards, which aired in June 2004 and were hosted by Hugh Jackman.During his iconic "One Night Only" opening number for the ceremony, Jackman flirted with the ladies of Hairspray and Little Shop of Horrors, advised the nominees to have fun even if they didn't win any awards, and then joined the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall to kick as highly and as fiercely as they did.Alas, it is common knowledge among Broadway fans that the 2004 Tonys weren't exactly great to the Wicked musical. For one, the Tony Awards Administration Committee announced that costars Idina Menzel (who originated Elphaba in the musical) and Kristin Chenoweth (who originated Glinda in the musical) would be eligible for the same category: Best Leading Actress in a Musical.Given that Menzel and Chenoweth had to compete in the same category, Wicked had the chance to win nine Tonys out of 10 nominations. By the end of the ceremony, the hit Broadaway musical won three awards.Best Leading Actress in a Musical Idina Menzel (WINNER)Best Scenic Design, Play or Musical Eugene Lee (WINNER)Best Costume Design, Play or Musical Susan Hilferty (WINNER)But we, and so many other Broadway fans, call shade.If nominating Menzel and Chenoweth for the same principal award was intended as praise, that flattery quickly flattened as everyone realized that there wasn't any viable path for both actresses to win a Tony even though the title of the musical, Wicked, was a direct reference to Menzel's Elphaba, and it stands to reason that Chenoweth's Glinda could've competed in the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical category.But wait, there's moreThe other unbearably shady moment from the 2004 Tony Awards happened when Wicked let's say that again: Wicked! did not win the Tony Award for Best Musical.Broadway's Wicked competed against Avenue Q (a hilarious musical that combines puppets and actors onstage), The Boy from Oz (a jukebox musical about singer-songwriter Peter Allen), and Caroline, or Change (a trippy musical set in the 1960s that explores historical events through the lens of Caroline, a Black maid in Louisiana).Ultimately, Wicked lost all seven awards detailed below including Best Musical, which went to Avenue Q.Best Musical (NOMINEE)Best Leading Actress in a Musical Kristin Chenoweth (NOMINEE)Best Original Score Stephen Schwartz (NOMINEE)Best Book of a Musical Winnie Holzman (NOMINEE)Best Choreography Wayne Cilento (NOMINEE)Best Lighting Design, Play or Musical Kenneth Posner (NOMINEE)Best Orchestrations William Davis Brohn (NOMINEE)