Michelle Yeoh Says It’s Been ‘Great’ Working With Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo on ‘Wicked’

Michelle Yeoh is set to grace the land of Oz as Madame Morrible in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, and the Academy Award-winning actress gave some insight on the current filming process.

She told ET that filming has been “great” so far. “Really good. Love working with Ariana [Grande] and Cynthia [Erivo],” she added.

She also previously shared how the film’s director Jon M. Chu, who worked with Yeoh on 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, convinced her to take the role. “He said he’s gonna send me the script, [ask me to] consider it,” she recalled. “Then, he goes off. Two days later, I get a message from him, and he has recorded a message from Ariana and Cynthia and him, saying, ‘Hi, Michelle. It’s imperative, imperative, absolutely — what was it? — imperative that you join us now.’”

Chu shared that Yeoh joined the Wicked cast back in December. “It took one tweet to convince the ICON (and dear friend) #MichelleYeoh to play our Madame Morrible in #WickedMovie,” the filmmaker tweeted along with an article by The Hollywood Reporter confirming the casting. “Am I the luckiest director in the world to get to work with her again?! Spoiler alert: yes I am. Welcome to Shiz.”

In the Broadway version of the beloved Wizard of Oz prequel, Yeoh’s character serves as the headmistress of Shiz and promises to introduce Elphaba to the famous Wizard himself, leading into fan-favorite number “The Wizard and I.”

The film adaptation is set to be released in two parts. Wicked Part 1 will be released next Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2024), and the second part currently scheduled for Christmas Day (Dec. 25) in 2025.