Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good Star Doesn't Think Glinda Knows Elphaba Is Alive

Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo says she doesn't think Glinda knows Elphaba is alive, saying, "I don't think she knows. I don't think she knows at all. In fact, I would put my money on it."

Wicked: For Good was released without the pomp and circumstance of the first film, which was probably not what anyone involved wanted. That's not to say the film did badly; it just wasn't nearly as well-received critically as the first one, and they didn't quite stick the landing. One could argue it's hard to stick the landing of a musical that also doesn't pull it off, but that's neither here nor there. One of the key aspects of the film's conclusion is whether Glinda is aware that Elphaba is alive. In the musical, it's much more definitive that she does not know, but there are a few little things in the movie that leave it a bit more ambiguous. Or, ambiguous to some, but not one of the stars.

At the end of the movie, we see Glinda at the top of the tower with the Grimmerie finally opening for her, and Elphaba walking into the horizon with Fiyero. The way the scene is framed, it seems like they have some awareness of each other, and that awareness might even be the reason the Grimmerie opened. However, star Cynthia Erivo is not on the fence at all despite some of the framing in those final shots. She was asked whether or not Glinda knows while on Variety's Awards Circuit Podcast and replied, "I don't think she knows. I don't think she knows at all. In fact, I would put my money on it that Glinda does not know that Elphaba is alive."

She continued, "I think that she needs her to believe that she's not alive. Even with the book opening, I think the book opening for her at the end is more a sign that she's worthy of the magic that that book has, which is what Elphaba told her: you have it, you have to learn how to use it now. You have to be the good that changes things. It has to mean something, and you have to figure out how to work with this piece of magic. You haven't had magic until now. Now you have the opportunity to find a way to use it, to find a way to have it."

Glinda, not knowing she is alive, is a key plot point in the future books, and there have been some rumblings about adapting those as well. However, adapting those would mean writing a musical from scratch, and if there was one thing about Wicked: For Good, it is the quality of the two new songs. At best, they make no impact, and at worst, people seem to dislike them. So, thinking that those two songs could be the level of quality we could expect from future movies? Maybe those final shots should be left just as they are, including the final whisper as the callback to the original poster. As for what was said between the two leading ladies and when asked what it was, Erivo replied, "I do, but I'm never telling anyone. It is movie related, I suppose, what she said to me, but it's also us related as well."

Wicked: For Good – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

And now, whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend …

Last year's global cinematic cultural sensation, which became the most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time, now reaches its epic, electrifying, emotional conclusion in Wicked: For Good.

Directed once again by award-winning director Jon M. Chu and starring the spectacular returning cast, led by Academy Award® nominated superstars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz's silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.

As Glinda's stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba's sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.

As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.

Wicked: For Good also stars Emmy nominee Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Glinda's fawning assistants, Pfannee and ShenShen and BAFTA and Grammy nominee Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba's childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

The film is produced by returning Tony and Emmy-winning powerhouse Marc Platt, p.g.a., and by multiple Tony winner David Stone. The executive producers are Stephen Schwartz, David Nicksay, Jared LeBoff, Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The first film, Wicked, released in November 2024, earned 10 Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, and won the Oscars® for Costume Design and Production Design. To date, the film has grossed $750 million worldwide.

Wicked: For Good is based on the generation-defining musical stage play with music and lyrics by legendary Grammy and Oscar® winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire. The screenplay is by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox. The film score is by John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Wicked: For Good was released in theaters on November 21, 2025.

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