Marissa Bode had no issues with the plot changes made for her character, Nessarose Thropp, in “Wicked: For Good” — in fact, she was thrilled about it.
In a new interview with Go Mag, the actress and disability advocate — who stars opposite Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the “Wicked” musical movies for Universal Pictures — addressed a viral moment from the trailer, which saw her character flying in the air after donning an enchanted pair of slippers.
While it was just a glimpse of the pivotal moment, it confirmed that a once problematic character development in the stage production had been altered for its film adaptation — and Bode made it clear she couldn’t be happier.
“I am so happy with the change, the old narrative was outdated,” Bode told the outlet. “And I’ll be honest, it was really fun to fly through the air on set.”
As she went on, Bode defended that the change to have Nessarose gain the ability to fly instead of walk, like she does in the Broadway show, fit better with the themes tackled in “Wicked.”
“Overall, the shift makes a lot of sense to me, considering ‘everyone deserves a chance to fly,’” she added, quoting one of Elphaba’s famous lines in the musical.
The tweak in Nessarose’s story came from “Wicked” writer Winnie Holzman, who Bode said informed her of the change after taking feedback from the disabled community.
Fans should expect additional modifications in “Wicked: For Good,” given the follow-up film will feature new original tracks, including “Girl in the Bubble,” sung by Grande, and “No Place Like Home,” sung by Erivo.
The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, also stars Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.
“Wicked: For Good” is set to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.
