Evil Director Explains Why They Cut Glinda’s Iconic Line From The Movie

November 26, 2024, 11:23 a.m.

Several lines from the Broadway show were cut from Jon M. Chu’s final cut of Wicked. Here’s why…

If you are a Wicked fan who has seen the musical several times, then you may have noticed that the Wicked (starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande) cut several memorable lines and iconic lyrics from the final version of the film.

From the lyrics of “One Short Day” to the moments in the storylines that never fail to make theater audiences laugh, some key sacrifices were made by director Jon M. Chu. In particular, a line considered to be one of Glinda’s most iconic does not appear in the film.

In a new interview with VarietyChu has now opened up about why he made the decision to remove those moments and how Ariana fought to get one back.

When asked why certain lines were cut and whether it was a difficult decision to make given the appreciation for the musical, Jon M. Chu told Variety: “When you don’t have a live audience to perform, some of the comedy stuff doesn’t really work.”

Even the actors were surprised when they found out which lines had been cut. So much so that Ariana fought to have an iconic line from “One Short Day” added back to the script.

“I remember when Ari read that we didn’t have the line ‘the wizard will see you now!’ There was a reason for that: they were more advanced in geography,” he revealed.

“In rehearsals, we didn’t have it and every time that moment came up, they sang it anyway. Ari was like, ‘I promise you, we to have to have it. So I was like, ‘OK, let me get this straight.’ We built it, so there are now two entrances, but it was worth it.'”

“There were debates all the time,” the director continued, before discussing the decision to remove one of Glinda’s most iconic lines. “At the beginning, when Glinda says, ‘It’s good to see me, isn’t it?’, in the show, she says, ‘No need to answer. It’s rhetorical.’ But in the movie, when she said that line, the joke didn’t happen.”

He then explained that it wasn’t removed because of the way Ariana performed, but because “there’s no audience to give feedback.” In the show, the cheeky wink addressed to the audience provokes laughter from the theater.

“We put in fake Ozian reactions, but it was too meta, too soon. It was scary to cut because it’s like a biblical line,” Chu added.

Learn more about Wicked here:

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