‘Wicked’ director Jon M. Chu says ‘Defying Gravity’ sequence was more stressful ‘than the whole movie itself’

Jon M. Chu, the director of the hit Crazy Rich Asians, is used to pressure, but in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he says one sequence in Wicked had him stressed.

He calls the movie’s showstopping “Defying Gravity” scene “one of the most complicated things I’ve ever shot in my entire life,” adding, “I felt more pressure with ‘Defying Gravity’ than the whole movie itself.”

Chu explained star Cynthia Erivo had to train for the scene’s exacting aerial sequence not once but twice. 

After 160 days of shooting Wicked and its sequel, the production halted because of the Hollywood strikes 10 days shy of finishing the pivotal scene.

“Cynthia had to train and gain — for a year — all the skill set, stunt-wise, to be able to fly and sing at the same time. Then, right when we’re about to shoot it, we stopped for six months. When we came back in January of this year, she had to retrain.”

He says in retrospect he was “grateful” for the unexpected break, and the cast and crew just “f****** unleashed” when filming resumed.

He calls Erivo’s pivotal scene “a revelation when you see her as Elphaba.”

Regarding his other leading lady, Ariana Grande, Chu reveals “she didn’t win the role the first time around …  [She] had all her Ariana Grande makeup on. Next time she came in, all makeup gone, and she was in it.”

He adds, “And when she showed up on day one, she was Galinda. Her voice was different. The way she walked was different. I have never seen anyone change like that. She earned this thing like no other.”

Wicked: Part One hits theaters on Nov. 22. Wicked: Part Two is slated to open on Nov. 21, 2025.

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