European Premiere of Wicked Transforms London’s South Bank

London’s South Bank was converted into the Emerald City for the European premiere of the film “Wicked.” Cast members, including Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jeff Goldblum, attended the event despite the rainy conditions. The movie is an adaptation of the theatrical musical, which recounts the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.” Following a trend observed during the “Barbie” press tour last year, the cast has adopted “method dressing,” wearing attire that reflects their characters’ colours in the movie. “Wicked” was filmed in the UK, and the cast expressed their enthusiasm to the BBC about being in the capital for the premiere. Cynthia Erivo, portraying the green witch Elphaba, stated, “she’s finally back home.” Ariana Grande, her co-star who plays Glinda, mentioned that the south London actress assisted her in refining her British accent during production. Both actresses conveyed their “excitement” regarding the renewed popularity of witch-centric narratives and the belief that “people really need a sisterhood and community.” The movie delves into the intricate friendship that develops between the two witches while they are at Shiz University. Michelle Yeoh, cast as Madame Morrible, revealed that she had not seen the stage musical prior to her involvement in the film. She remarked, “I had never seen it and when I found out it was a musical I thought this is wrong because I can’t sing.” After viewing the musical subsequent to her casting, she commented that she “understood the hype.” Yeoh further commented on the musical’s broad appeal, stating, “There’s a certain universality to the story – I saw old people, young people, women and men and everyone loves it.” She also recounted meeting a fan who “had seen it 12 times and he said he loved it even more every time.” Jeff Goldblum, who portrays the wizard, shared that he recently brought his children to see the London stage production, and “they loved it.” Goldblum’s children are now “very excited” about their father’s participation in the movie. The upcoming film addresses themes such as acceptance, tolerance, and the treatment of animals by society, which the cast collectively believes “couldn’t be more relevant to today.” This two-and-a-half-hour musical film represents only the first installment of the narrative, with the subsequent part scheduled for release next November. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.