Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Wicked: How Michelle Yeoh Took a “More Nuanced” Approach to Madame Morrible: “She’s Not the Villain”
Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh put her own spin on one of Wicked's most complex characters.
With Wicked currently filling theaters everywhere (get tickets now!), all eyes are on stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariane Grande in the legendary roles of the Witches of Oz. But Elphaba and Glinda, aren't the only key players in the story. There's another powerful woman on the scene, and she's embodied by an Academy Award-winning actress.
Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh plays Madame Morrible, the regal and influential headmistress of Shiz University, in the film adaptation of the beloved musical. The head of the school where both Elphaba and Glinda arrive to study, Morrible takes notice of both girls as they distinguish themselves through their studies and their magical gifts, and is particularly fascinated by the innate magic of Elphaba, something that will eventually bring her into contact and conflict with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
RELATED: How Does Wicked Connect to The Wizard of Oz? The Magical World Explained
How Michelle Yeoh Became Wicked's Madame Morrible
While Morrible is certainly not as powerful as the Wizard, she is a key antagonist figure in the musical, but Yeoh and director Jon M. Chu were not interested in simply creating a cartoonish villain. Speaking to NBC Insider, Yeoh explained how she and Chu approached the role together.
"Watching the musical in the theater, you know, it's larger than life, but Jon always wanted her to be more nuanced, because in the cinema, the camera helps you to emote a lot of emotions and tell the story without big gestures," Yeoh said. "And I think that really, really helped, because the character was already so regal and big with the costume and her wig, and a massive train that always comes behind her. So, the complexity, which I loved how Jon put it, was: 'She's not the villain. We don't want you to watch Madame Morrible and think, ah, easy, villain.' She's an educator, but she also has ambitions and dreams, and how it leads you sometimes up the right path, and sometimes it leads you astray. As an actor I was given such a nice platform to maneuver around."
Finding the nuances within Wicked's grand-scale story was, according to Yeoh, always top of mind for Chu, who focused on every detail, including finding new ways to imbue the show's classic songs with emotion.
"Every song, it wasn't just a song," she said. "He created deeper meaning into the lyrics and all that, so that was very powerful. And when you hear it, it conjures up a completely different new image for you."
For Yeoh personally, making Madame Morrible as nuanced and real as possible was a very intimate process. As with her other roles, including her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Yeoh set out to create a character journal for Morrible, full of details about the character's life and goals, giving her so much life that she came through on set more than Yeoh herself.
RELATED: The Cast and Characters of Wicked Explained
"I try not to bring Michelle into the picture when I'm in a story, because I always feel that character deserves her own [story]," Yeoh said. "So, it's 'What is her past, what are her dreams?' I sort of conjure up a diary for her and map it... so when I am there, it's not Michelle Yeoh trying to be her, it's her."
How to Watch Wicked
Wicked is in theaters everywhere! Get tickets now at Fandango, and get ready for Wicked Part Two, arriving November 2025.
