Michelle Yeohwas hesitant tojoin the cast of the upcomingWickedmovie musical— untilAriana GrandeandCynthia Erivosent a personal plea to work with the Oscar winner.
During Yeoh’s appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonWednesday, the actress, 61, shared how she was initially worried about singing for the camera when directorJon M. Chuasked her to join the project, which recently completed filming in London.
Yeoh and Chu had previously collaborated on the 2018 hitCrazy Rich Asians. InWicked, the filmmaker cast Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University, the school where lead characters Elphaba (Erivo, 37) and Glinda (Grande, 30) meet as teens.“I read the script and I call him and I go ‘Jon, you realize she sings, right?’ And he goes, ‘Uh-huh,’ … I don’t sing,” Yeoh shared. “He’s like, ‘Eh, don’t worry.’ "
Michelle Yeoh and Ariana Grande.Dave Benett/Getty Images
TheAcademy Awardwinner shared that Chu then teamed up with Grande and Erivo to persuade her to join with a personal video. “The next day I get this video, and it’s like ‘Hi, Michelle, I just have two people here who really want to talk to you and tell you why you should be here,’ " she said. “And it was Ariana and Cynthia. [They were like] ‘It’s imperative, it’s imperative that you come and join us.’ Imperative was the royal word.”
“Cynthia and Ariana are like angels,” she added. “When you walk on [set] and hear them sing, it’s like you’ve gone to heaven.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Erivo.Dave Benett/Getty Images
The film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical — which is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novelWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West— wasfirst announced all the way back in 2016. The movie is split into two parts, withWicked: Part Oneexpected to release in theaters Nov. 27 andPart Twoscheduled for November 2025.Aside from Yeoh, Erivo and Grande, the movie also starsJeff Goldblumas the Wizard,Bridgerton’sJonathan Baileyas Fiyero andGrande’s boyfriendEthan Slateras Boq.
Back in May 2023, Yeoh noted thatWickedwill mark her first movie musical role during an appearance at theMeihodo International Youth Visual Media Festivalin Fukuoka, Japan. “It’s very exciting, and I can’t wait for you all to see it,” she shared at the time. “It was a risk, but you will never know which doors will open for you unless you try them all.”
source: people.com
