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Find out who makes surprise appearances in the new film … and how one of the cameo stars squirmed when asked about it by Cohen.
While Wicked the movie belongs to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, there are a handful of surprise cameos in the film delighting longtime fans of the musical to no end.
If you haven’t yet seen the adaptation, out now in theaters, and want to get a surprise, stop reading now.
You’ve been warned!
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The new film, from director Jon M. Chu, is adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name.
The incredibly popular stage show starred Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba — later known as the Wicked Witch of the West — and Glinda the Good Witch. Both were nominated for Best Actress at the Tony Awards back in 2004, with Menzel taking home the trophy.
With the actresses so well known for their roles, many were wondering how — if at all — they would be incorporated into the movie. Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait until Wicked: Part 2 to find out, as they appear in the same scene in Part 1.
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The pair don’t show up until the final act of the film, as Elphaba and Glinda make their way to the Emerald City to meet The Wizard, as the company sings “One Short Day.” Once there, they’re treated to a stage show, explaining the history of Oz and the Grimmerie — with Menzel and Chenoweth popping up, in full-on ball gowns, to help tell the story through song.
At one point, Menzel even hits her iconic “Defying Gravity” note, before the pair share a sweet moment with their new generation counterparts.
Of filming with the pair, Grande told PEOPLE, “I mean, it was just such a surreal honor.” She added that, “to be coming up with bits together with them and to watch them sing and to do their shtick,” was “out-of-body experience, truly.”
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So far, the two Broadway stars haven’t talked about their cameos just yet — though Andy Cohen did ask Chenoweth about hers during an appearance Thursday on Watch What Happens Live. While he didn’t flat out say she’s in it, he said everyone was talking about “what they saw in the movie,” before asking, “How hard was it keeping it a secret?”
Chenoweth played it cool, exclaiming, “What?!” When he then asked, “Was it hard?”, she replied, “Continues to be hard,” before telling people to just see the movie and pleading the fifth.
The two actresses aren’t the only ones associated with the original show who make appearances in the movie.
In the same “One Short Day” sequence, Winnie Holzman — who wrote the book for the musical and the screenplay for the film — also shows up as a fellow Ozian. The Broadway show’s composer Stephen Schwartz also makes a brief appearance as a guard who lets Elphaba and Glinda into the palace.
Wicked: Part 1 is in theaters now.
