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Why Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s Live Singing on Wicked Had Everyone in Tears (EXCLUSIVE)
The creators of Wicked share what it was like behind the scenes.
**SPOILER WARNING!! The following contains minor spoilers for Wicked!!
As Wicked brings its magic to the silver screen we've all fallen under its spell. The movie, an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that imagines a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, has a secret superpower: Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo sang all of the songs live while filming in London, bringing such intensity that it shook things up behind the scenes. Indeed, John Chu’s epic musical, the first of a two-part release, is that witches Glinda (Grande) and Elphaba (Erivo) really did make the cast and crew cry.
“Live singing affected the entire mood of the set,” said cinematographer Alice Brooks during an exclusive interview with NBC Insider. The hundreds of technicians and grips who worked on the film apparently melted every day hearing Erivo’s breathtaking soprano and Grande’s bright vocals.
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One scene in particular even brought editor Myron Kerstein to tears in his editing bay. “It’s terrifying to experience something so emotional over and over again,” he said.
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande's live singing on Wicked set made everyone cry
“Every day, I’m dealing with hundreds of really talented, amazing technicians. Electricians, grips, camera operators,” Brooks recalled. “We’d be doing these massively huge epic shots and land on Cynthia [for] these big push-ins, and the key grips were all just crying.”
Brooks and Chu have been collaborating on films for almost 25 years, dating back to their time as students at USC Film School. They bonded over their love of musicals and have the same jumping-off point when it comes to their vision. “We always approach a script on an emotional level,” she said.
But apparently, nothing could have prepared them for the roller coaster of emotions that were stirred up during songs like “I’m Not That Girl,” “Dancing Through Life,” or "Defying Gravity," the breathtaking finale of the film when Elphaba dons her black cape and embraces her calling as a witch. “Everyone could feel that energy, and they all knew we were making something really special,” Brooks said.
The scene that brought Wicked's editor to tears
We’ve all been there when growing up — the feeling of being bullied or laughed at by someone else. In the party scene at the Ozdust Ballroom, the normally circumspect Elphaba throws caution to the wind and takes the dance floor at an after-school celebration, showing off her unique moves. Dressed up for the occasion and wearing her witch’s hat for the first time, she’s quickly surrounded by snickering Shiz University students, and tears begin to well up in her eyes.
But in a thrilling, vindicating moment, Glinda steps forward and joins her in solidarity. It’s a turning point for their friendship and one of the most powerful scenes in the film.
“In Ozdust ballroom, we had ten-minute takes, which would make me cry every single take from beginning to end,” admitted Kerstein, who edited the film from his studio in London. “I felt just as exhausted as the crew on the day, or the actors.”
With such incredible talent and multiple takes, narrowing down just the right cuts to include was a challenge, but Kerstein used emotion, including humor, as a litmus test for what would make it in. Holed up in a screening room, he approached the process as though he was the first audience member to ever see the film. “I would have hours and hours of footage washing over me… I just sit there like an audience member and take it all in,” he revealed.
RELATED: How Does Wicked Connect to The Wizard of Oz? The Magical World Explained
“Over time, you start to narrow down the essence of that emotion, and hopefully, you get that right through experimentation and construction,” he said, adding that it requires “a lot of exercise of the muscles connected to your heart.”
Generations of fans cherish everything about the original 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and have grown up with the Broadway version of Wicked, so just seeing the Yellow Brick Road for the first time or Glinda arriving in her bubble brings a pang to the heart. “You have a very emotional response,” said Kerstein.
Brooks concurs, adding that the early talks with Chu about Wicked revolved around “emotional beats and themes and humanity on a very basic level.” In other words, bring the tissues.
How can you watch Wicked in theaters?
Wicked is in theaters now. Click here to pick up tickets for yourself and the whole family! The sequel — Wicked Part Two — is set to follow on November 21, 2025.
