Marissa Bode Says Nessarose’s Storyline in ‘Wicked: For Good’ Will Be “Less Harmful to Disabled People” Than Original Broadway Version
Just before actor accepted her honor as this year’s recipient of the ’s Spotlight Award on Thursday night, her Oscar-nominated co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo made a surprise video appearance.
In a taped message, the duo celebrated Bode’s historic performance and her dedication to disability inclusion as the first authentically cast disabled performer to play Nessarose — Elphaba’s (Erivo) sister and a character who uses a wheelchair — in the Wicked musical’s 20-plus years. “Marissa took the role of Nessarose to new heights and brought authenticity to the role like never before,” Erivo said in the prerecorded video.
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“We were beyond thrilled to be a part of such a groundbreaking film and the inclusion it created for people with disabilities is going to open doors for actors for years and years to come,” Grande added. “It was such an honor to work by your side and you deserve every of bit of celebration.”
Moments earlier, Ethan Slater, another one of Bode’s co-stars, appeared in person to introduce her to the festival’s sold-out opening night audience at The Shed. He spoke to her authentic casting “opening doors to include more actors with disabilities both in Oz and in Hollywood” and her performance, which had him “constantly in awe.”
“But while promoting the movie, I also had the privilege to hear Marissa talk about the significance of her authentic casting. Both what it would’ve meant for young Marissa and what it could mean for the change of our industry — for good,” he told the sold-out crowd. “For those of you in attendance who are searching for disabled talent to tell your stories, please remember the words of Wicked. Everyone deserves a chance to fly, and as embodied by Marissa Bode, when given access, they do.”
The celebration kicked off the opening night for the nation’s largest disability film festival, which runs through April 9 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. It was an event that saw Bode reflecting with The Hollywood Reporter on various aspects of her whirlwind journey with both of the Jon M. Chu-directed films.
That includes how the Wicked sequel, , will change a part of Nessarose’s storyline. In the Broadway musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel, Elphaba uses an enchantment that allows her sister Nessarose to move without her wheelchair. But Bode explained to THR that “they made some changes” to the film, which she teased would be darker than the first. “I cannot say what those are just yet, but they did make those changes so that the magic within Wicked is still there, but the narrative is less harmful to disabled people,” she noted.
The actress credited Winnie Holzman, co-writer on the Wicked screenplay and the book writer of the Wicked musical, for wanting to “get [the moment] right” by making a tweak for the film. Bode didn’t find out how the change was made “literally until right before [Wicked] was released to the public,” when she sat down with Holzman for the first time. Their conversation revealed that the playwright and screenwriter “had heard a lot of the feedback from the disabled community about the whole narrative of being ‘fixed’ and how it isn’t necessarily the best” during the Broadway show’s run.
“I obviously don’t speak for all people with disabilities, and I know that some things like chronic pain exist. My partner deals with that and she has said before, ‘I wish I did not have this.’ But in general, I think a lot of non-disabled people already have the preconceived idea that all disabled people want to be fixed,” the actor said. “Portraying something like that in something as big as Wicked can have negative effects. The amount of times still that I am pitied because people think I am lesser than for sitting in a wheelchair or that I am not living a happy life because I am in a wheelchair — that I should be fixed or that I need to be prayed over — has been extremely uncomfortable.”
To make the change, Holzman sat down with a friend who was disabled. Bode says that it was “incredibly important, to be listening to somebody who is disabled when writing a disabled character.
“All of that was already written,” Bode noted while explaining her level of involvement in the storyline shift. “I did not have a hand in changing that and part of me is grateful for that because that wasn’t something I had to think about [as an actor].” In addition to being grateful the production didn’t ask her to pull double-duty as consultant and performer, the Nessarose actor expressed to THR that she was glad the change happened independently of her, as those potentially upset about the film’s divergences from the stage musical’s storyline might have otherwise blamed the changes on her and her authentic casting.
“I will say that does scare me about [Wicked: For Good], when it is released — me saying, ‘I don’t think it’s necessarily healthy to continuously portray disabled people pleading and always wanting to be fixed,’ and people then having a negative reaction to that,” Bode shared. “I do understand that Wicked has been on Broadway for a long time, but when you take something that has such a fan base like that and everyone in it has an idea in their brain of what it is already, changing that can be scary. So I am a little bit nervous for the reaction, but at the end of the day I am for my community. I don’t speak for all disabled people, but I do think the changes that have been made are healthy overall.”
Bode’s comments come on the heels of several recent productions and their stars facing online hate campaigns as certain viewers reject characters more openly cast or (re)imagined for a modern, global audience. Some productions have also faced criticism for how they did — or didn’t — handle modernizing outdated tropes and stereotypes. The Harry Potter TV series for Max, Disney’s Little Mermaid and Snow White live-action adaptations, as well as Prime Video’s prequel Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and the West End’s Romeo + Juliet starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers are among those that have had to juggle the reactions of self-proclaimed purists.
Wicked, a largely inclusive film on- and offscreen with its racially diverse cast of characters and a number of LGBTQ+ actors in its ensemble, has also faced some heat from some audiences. Regardless, Bode did “want to give big props to [Wicked’s casting director] Chelsea Egozi, who made the decision to cast an authentically disabled person and also cast a Black person as Elphaba.”
“In my opinion, there’s an extra layer there when you do cast a person of color in that role,” Bode reflects. “I genuinely do not understand how people were upset at a Black woman being cast as a green person. First of all, she’s green. Second of all, I think you misunderstood the whole story of Wicked. You need to rewatch it because you missed the point of somebody being discriminated against over the color of their skin. Maybe look inward and realize that’s exactly what you’re doing [through the] preconceived idea of who you think should play this role.”
The casting of Bode and Erivo, alongside years of feedback around the Broadway show, paved the way for the Broadway musical to cast Jenna Bainbridge, the first actor who uses a wheelchair to play the stage version of Nessarose, as well as Lencia Kebede, the first Black actor to portray Elphaba full-time. “I am always happy to be a part of change in any way that sets a precedent for casting in the future,” Bode says of the changes within the Broadway show.
The actor’s impact has also stretched to the press and awards circuit. Having her access needs met while working on the Wicked and Wicked: For Good set has been a heavy focus of Bode’s press run. But Bode has also worked to extend that treatment to her disabled peers, particularly during awards and festival season, where accessibility isn’t consistent across events or shows.
“There were two instances where two of my disabled peers didn’t necessarily have everything that they needed and I did bring it up to those behind the scenes. Like, ‘Hey, I’m glad that you kept my accessibility needs in mind, but in the future and for next run think about everybody’s needs, not just mine,’” the actor told THR. “When I talk about accessibility, I talk about it for all people and not just for myself, so I really hope that in the future we are considering all disabilities and everyone else that might be here with a disability.
“One thing that is most important to me is my community and how I am perceived by [them]. There’s a lot of pressure there for sure, but with the platform that I’ve gained, I can lift up other people within the community and share their stories,” Bode added while discussing her ReelAbilities honor. “To be honored tonight by this diverse community means that me sharing and talking as much as I can about us has made an impact and that’s all I can ask for. All I hope to do with whatever platform I get is to consistently speak out and speak up for this community because there is a lot of work still left to do, for sure.”
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