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Why SNL Star Bowen Yang Went Off-Script So Much in Wicked: "I Am So Sorry..."
Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang's portrayal of Pfannee in Wicked is filled of improvised lines.
What is this feeling? It’s the giddiness of knowing the film adaptation of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba is on the horizon.
The highly anticipated movie takes fans of the book and the Broadway musical right into the magical world of Oz as the two visually contrasting witches discover that they aren’t as different as they first appear to be. Do they deserve to be given their famed titles of the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West? That's the question this epic story aims to answer.
Among the star-studded supporting cast is Saturday Night Live performer and comedian Bowen Yang. He plays one of Glinda’s closest friends and fellow classmate at Shiz University, Pfannee of Phan Hall, who is more "stuck up" than the point on Elphaba’s iconic witch hat when the story gets started. The character was originally depicted as woman in the book written by author Gregory Maguire, which means that Yang landed the first and only gender-swapped character in the live-action adaptation.
RELATED: We're Not in Kansas, Anymore! Wicked Director Promises "Totally New" Depiction of Oz
Yang is a mainstay on SNL, and has starred in several films including The Garfield Movie and Bros. Yet, with a franchise that carries such a massive fanbase as Wicked, he said the pressure was undoubtedly on for him to get his portrayal right.
Yang is known for his hilarious personality, and that skill is something the filmmaking team behind Wicked quickly recognized as they filmed his scenes as Pfannee.
“I was like, I’m not going to change a word of this script, this is the perfect script, I’m not going to ruin this movie with my thoughts,” he said on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
But even though he brought a reverence to the script, Yang explained the film’s director John M. Chu encouraged him to do extra takes where he could go off-script and improvise to have some fun and experiment while shooting. Turns out? That's where the magic happened.
“And then, this man pulled a fast one on me and used every single adlib,” Yang shared, adding, “I am so sorry that millions of people have to see me say these silly words.”
Wicked will arrive in theaters everywhere November 22, just in time for Thanksgiving. And remember- Wicked Part Two is coming in 2025!
