9 Actors Who Almost Starred In Wicked

Wicked is one of Broadway’s long-running musicals, holding strong for over 20 years since opening in 2003. It’s taken almost that long for a film adaptation to finally be released, with Wicked Part One finally hitting theaters on Nov. 22 after over a decade in development. Therefore, it’s only natural that many people have been vying for a role in the movie over the past 15 years.

Even Broadway’s original Elphaba and Glinda, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, were still hopeful that they could reprise their roles for a long time. “I still think that I should be Elphaba and I should just show up, slap that green makeup on me and get some CGI and Benjamin Button the sh*t out of that,” Menzel told Variety in 2019.

Finally, in 2021, it was announced that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had landed the coveted roles. Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum later joined the cast as Fiyero, Madame Morrible, and the Wizard of Oz, respectively.

But before landing on those all-important casting decisions, director Jon M. Chu had to audition many actors for whom Glinda and Elphaba were dream roles — plus navigate some stars who were attached to the film before he was set to direct. Read on for the list of actors who almost starred in Wicked.

Amanda Seyfried

Seyfried made it very clear how much she wanted to play Glinda, even auditioning while filming her Emmy-winning turn as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout. “On the weekends I was auditioning in person to play Glinda in the movie version of Wicked,” she told Backstage. “I wanted it that much that I was like, ‘You know what? Yeah, I have to play the last scene of The Dropout on Tuesday. I’ll give my Sunday to you.’ I literally bent over backwards while playing the hardest role of my life.”

Lady Gaga

According to Page Six, Gaga was attached to play Elphaba when the movie was set to be helmed by Stephen Daldry, who was announced to direct in 2016. “They had meetings, the two of them, about the character and who she would be,” a source said. “[Gaga] was essentially cast in his version.” However, he exited the project in 2020, delaying the film before Jon M. Chu took over.

Dove Cameron

Cameron confirmed in 2023 that she auditioned for the role of Glinda and made it pretty far. “I definitely went out for it,” she told The Wrap. “I know that for everybody who did go out for it, it was a very long process. It was one of the longer processes I've been a part of.” She expressed her desire to play Glinda for years, and Chenoweth even vouched for her.

However, she had no hard feelings toward Grande. “I’m so excited for Ariana,” she said. “She’s a genuinely dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young.”

Renée Rapp

During a 2022 interview on Watch What Happens Live, Rapp revealed that she was one of the many actors who auditioned to play Glinda. However, she was even more excited for Grande to play the role than if she had gotten it herself. “Ariana’s gonna be… can I cuss? She’s going to be f*cking amazing,” she said. “I’m so excited.”

Anna Kendrick

While Kendrick has yet to confirm whether she officially auditioned for Wicked, her name was in the ring for a while. She even performed “For Good” with Chenoweth in 2013. However, she kept quiet when asked by E! in 2021. “Obviously like, Wicked is a masterpiece and a classic and it's an iconic show and that's all I'll say about that,” she said.

That said, she was honored when Seyfried said she was her dream casting for Elphaba alongside her own Glinda. “I hadn't heard that, but when I met her in real life, she said that to me,” she said. “So I was like, what are you, eavesdropping on that conversation? I didn't know that she'd said that. So she didn't just say it to my face to be nice.”

Taylor Louderman

Broadway star Louderman, who originated the role of Regina George in the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls, revealed that she tried out for Glinda while reacting to Grande’s casting on Instagram Stories. “yyyy did I even audition or think I had a chance?!” she wrote. “This business…you can’t care too much about any role you’re auditioning for (or you could get hurt & won’t come back) but you have to care enough to give it your all. I cared too much this time.”

Nick & Joe Jonas

As if being in the same band didn’t provide enough brotherly competition, Nick and Joe Jonas both auditioned for the role of Fiyero. “Joe and I both went out, and we didn’t get it. But that’s the life of an actor,” Nick told Variety in 2023. “I think it went really well. I was very happy coming out of the room. I’m a huge fan of the show, and that’s a role I always thought it would be fun to play.”

Shawn Mendes

The same Page Six story that revealed Gaga’s casting also reported that Mendes was attached to play Fiyero at one point in Daldry’s version of the film before he exited the project. Yes, there was almost a timeline where Gaga and Mendes played love interests.