Jonathan Bailey Teases Fiyero’s Eye Color Change In Wicked: Part 2

If you first became enamored with Jonathan Bailey through Bridgerton, you’re probably familiar with his dark eyes and penchant for a soulful, brooding gaze. But unlike Anthony Bridgerton (and Bailey himself), Prince Fiyero in Wicked has blue eyes. They’re just as dreamy, of course, but decidedly different. So... why the change?

The new color may seem arbitrary, but it’s actually meaningful and contains a massive hint about what to expect in Wicked: Part 2. However, the full explanation requires some major context from the original Broadway musical. Spoilers ahead for Wicked.

“There Is A Reason.”

During an interview with CinemaBlend, Bailey said the reason he wears blue contact lenses — which he dubbed “Winkie Blue,” a nod to his character’s background — “will become clear in the second film.”

He also teased that the payoff “will be worth it,” specifically pointing to a lyric from the Act 2 love duet between Fiyero and Elphaba, “As Long As You’re Mine.”

“There’s a lyric in the duet ... ‘You’ve got me seeing through different eyes,’” Bailey added. “And so, that might give you an indicator of what happens later. So, there is a reason.”

A Meaningful Moment

Could Bailey be hinting that Fiyero changes not just emotionally but physically, too, through falling in love with Elphaba?

It certainly seems so! In an Oct. 21 appearance on Jonathan van Ness’ Pretty Curious podcast, Wicked hair, makeup, and prosthetics designer Frances Hannon teased a transformation for Fiyero. She explained that his blue eyes are a nod to his home village and overall color palette. (Even his horse is a deep blue!) However, “we made [his eyes] dark brown for the fields for when he becomes Scarecrow,” she revealed. Yes, in Act 2 of the musical, Fiyero is turned into the familiar figure from The Wizard of Oz, following a spell Elphaba casts to save his life.

“So his eyes became more of a pool, which worked really well in the love scenes, I think,” Hannon continued.

While Fiyero is a dashing prince with any eye color, returning to Bailey’s natural brown eyes will be part of a touching moment for him and Elphaba. According to Hannon, director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt found it important to make Fiyero and Boq (who turns into Tin Man) feel “more alive” compared to their counterparts in The Wizard of Oz.