Wicked: For Good is set for release this November. (Universal Pictures)
Wicked: For Good is set to make a change to the original musical’s plot in a bid to be “less harmful to disabled people”.
Actress Marissa Bode, who portrays Nessarose, the sister of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), in the film adaptation of the musical, took time to reflect on her role after being awarded ReelAbilities Film Festival’s Spotlight Award.
Although the character in the musical has always been written to be a wheelchair user, Bode made history as the first wheelchair user to play the part in last year’s Wicked.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Bode spoke about how the upcoming Wicked sequel will change a key part of Nessarose’s original storyline.
In Wicked: For Good, Elphaba uses an enchantment that enables Nessarose to move without her wheelchair, but Bode explained that “they made some changes” to the film, which she said would be darker than the first.
‘The narrative is less harmful’
She said: “I cannot say what those are just yet, but they did make those changes so that the magic within Wicked is still there, but the narrative is less harmful to disabled people.”
Bode explained that the change was implemented after Winnie Holzman – the co-writer of the Wicked screenplay and the book writer of Wicked the musical – “heard a lot of the feedback from the disabled community about the whole narrative of being ‘fixed’ and how it isn’t necessarily the best” during the Broadway show’s run.
She added of the “preconceived idea that all disabled people want to be fixed”: “Portraying something like that in something as big as Wicked can have negative effects. The amount of times still that I am pitied because people think I am lesser than for sitting in a wheelchair or that I am not living a happy life because I am in a wheelchair — that I should be fixed or that I need to be prayed over — has been extremely uncomfortable.”
After sitting down with a friend who is disabled, Holzman was able to make the considerate changes. Bode said she was happy the changes were made independent of her.
“I don’t speak for all disabled people, but I do think the changes that have been made are healthy overall,” she added.
In December, Bode slammed “gross” jokes about her character’s disability, reminding viewers that their comments affect actual disabled people.
The second instalment of Wicked was given its new title in December ahead of its release next November. The title of the film was changed to refer to an anticipated duet between Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda (Ariana Grande).
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