Meet The Witches

What makes a witch wicked? The Broadway musical Wicked answers that question—and more. Wicked takes place in Oz, a magical land in L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

A new movie based on the musical hits theaters November 22. Wicked winds back the clock to see what Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, might have been like when she was young. She’s already green and powerful, but she’s not wicked . . . yet. Elphaba actually starts out more kindhearted than Glinda the Good! The witches-in-training are thrown together as roommates at Shiz University. They’re total opposites but eventually learn to understand each other. This movie is just the first part of the story—part two hits theaters in 2025!

What makes a witch wicked? The Broadway musical Wicked answers that question—and more. Wicked takes place in the magical land of Oz. It’s a different take on the children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

Now there’s a new movie based on the musical. It hits theaters November 22. Wicked explores what Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, might have been like when she was young. She’s already green and powerful. But she’s not wicked . . . yet.

Elphaba attends Shiz University as a witch-in-training. There, she meets her new roommate: Glinda the Good. The two witches are total opposites. But they eventually learn to understand each other. This movie is just the first part of the story—part two comes out in 2025!

Also learning magic at Shiz University is Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger and more doted-upon sister. Marissa Bode plays the future Wicked Witch of the East. Bode couldn’t be happier about her role—and not just because Wicked takes place before Dorothy Gale drops a house on her character!

Nessarose is one of the few wheelchair-using characters in a Broadway musical. Since Wicked’s debut in 2003, the role has never been played by an actor who uses a wheelchair. Bode thinks her casting makes Nessarose more authentic than ever. “In the film, there’s less of an emphasis on Nessarose wanting to be ‘fixed’ and more emphasis on her independence and being OK with who she is,” Bode says.

As a wheelchair user, Bode relates to this. “I became disabled at age 11, and the way people perceive me was felt immediately. So when telling the story about disabled people—especially when you have someone who is authentically disabled—that transfers over into the storytelling.”

Also learning magic at Shiz University is Nessarose. She’s Elphaba’s younger sister. Marissa Bode plays Nessarose—later known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Bode couldn’t be happier about her role. And that’s not just because Wicked takes place before Dorothy Gale drops a house on her character!

Nessarose is one of the few characters in a Broadway musical who uses a wheelchair. But the role has never been played by an actor who uses a wheelchair. Bode thinks her casting makes Nessarose more authentic. “In the film, there’s less of an emphasis on Nessarose wanting to be ‘fixed,’” says Bode.  “The emphasis is on her independence and being OK with who she is.”

Bode relates to this. She became disabled at age 11. She could immediately tell that people were looking at her differently. They sometimes made assumptions about her that weren’t true. But she can bring her experience to playing Nessarose. “When you have someone who is authentically disabled, that transfers over into the storytelling,” she says.

Bode has a deep appreciation for all the details the production team put into her character—especially Nessarose’s mobility devices. They made five wheelchairs, including a dance version, a stunt version, and a small version for flashbacks of young Nessarose. The small one even has brakes shaped like roses. “They’re geniuses,” Bode says. “Every single little detail just blows my mind.”

The choreographer also designed an entirely new wheelchair dance number that’s not part of the stage show. But Bode says her favorite part was working with the stunt team. They wired Bode and her wheelchair 20 feet into the air for flying scenes. “I’m a sucker for thrill!” Bode laughs.

Bode had so much fun that she isn’t bothered by the fact that her character will have a house dropped on her. One scene she’s excited to see on the big screen is Nessarose in the iconic magic silver slippers. (They’re the same ones Glinda gives Dorothy in the book but are ruby red in the 1939 movie.) “I keep joking with my friends, ‘Them’s my feet under the house . . . Those feet are famous!’” Bode says.

Bode isn’t the only one who wants Nessarose to be authentic. The production team put a lot of work into her character—especially her mobility devices. They made five wheelchairs for the movie. There’s a dance version, a stunt version, and a small version for flashbacks to when Nessarose was young. The small wheelchair even has brakes shaped like roses. “They’re geniuses,” says Bode. “Every single little detail just blows my mind.”

The movie also includes a wheelchair dance number that wasn’t in the stage show. But that wasn’t even Bode’s favorite part. For scenes where Nessarose flies, she worked with the stunt team. They suspended Bode and her wheelchair 20 feet in the air. “I’m a sucker for thrill!” Bode says.

Bode’s character will eventually have a house dropped on her. But the actress has had so much fun that it doesn’t bother her, she says. One scene she’s excited to see on the big screen: Nessarose in the magic silver slippers. (They’re ruby red in the 1939 movie.) “I keep joking with my friends, ‘Them’s my feet under the house . . . Those feet are famous!’” Bode says.