The Playlist: This is the first musical you guys have done, I believe even for you, Ethan, on television or film. What were the differences going to this medium?
Ethan Slater: Well, I think for me, the main difference is just that you’re able to spend a little bit more time with the emotional inner lives of characters on film. When you’re on stage, you’re playing to an audience. It doesn’t mean that it’s not nuanced. It doesn’t mean that there’s not space for incredibly deep human performances, but on film, it’s a different kind of proximity to your audience, and you kind of are focusing on the emotional life of it. And I think that one of the things that is a real relief actually is when singing the music, the Boq-Ness songs, for the most part in the first movie at least, are in these intimate moments. So, we could sort of sing to each other, act with each other, and not try to play to the back of the house. And I think that that made it a pretty easy, smooth transition. I’ve filmed stage productions before, so I’ve done a Broadway show and then had a steady cam come in and all that stuff. Eight cameras happening at once, [but] totally different experience. Where it overlapped was I did get a little bit of a crash course in how to perform the same emotions even with the heights of music, the emotional heights of singing, and how to try to perform that with an audience that’s so close. I think that is my long-winded answer.
The Playlist: The same question for you, Marissa.
Marissa Bode: Yeah, I mean, I grew up doing local community theater, so I’ve never had a huge, huge stage like a Broadway stage in that sense. But I found so much love and just fun and silliness. And, I think that community theater was such a great way for me to fall in love with acting because although we didn’t have a big stage, we did with what we had, and we still gave really fun and silly and great emotional performances. Not everybody was necessarily in drama club because they wanted to be the best actor they could be. A lot of it was just people wanting to have fun and be with their friends and have that community and build and have this amazing performance for the family and friends and other peers.
The Playlist: Out of the two numbers you each have in this particular movie, was there one that was tougher to shoot than you thought it might be?
Ethan Slater: I would say, to be totally honest, every day was challenging but fun. There was no day where I felt like, “Oh, got to just get to the end of the day,” or “This is too much, this is too overwhelming.” I think a big part of that was because of Jon and the way that he led the set. I just felt really safe and in really good hands the entire time. Well, I guess for myself, at least.
Marissa Bode: Yeah, I mean a lot of it for me, because I’m an anxious girly, was overwhelming just because this is my first [gig] ever, but it wasn’t overwhelming and necessarily in a negative way. It was more so, this is such a cool and amazing and surreal experience that I can’t believe I’m here. And it was just so much to take. It still is, I can’t believe I’m here today, to be honest. I mean, in terms of actually filming, I think I just had fun through and through.
Ethan Slater: We were dancing between takes.
Marissa Bode: We were dancing between takes.
Ethan Slater: That was pretty fun.
The Playlist: There you go. That’s the fun part. When you were cast did you already know it was going to be two films?
Ethan Slater: I mean, by the time it got to us, I think we knew it was two films which is an amazing thing. How often do you audition for a project or get a project that not only is it a dream project but it’s got a built-in sequel? Do you know what I mean? But knowing “Wicked” too, I think it’s been funny. I’ve been very aware of the skepticism around breaking “Wicked” into two parts, and I didn’t really share in that initially. I was like, “I feel like they must have a reason,” and I was excited to read the scripts, and once I read the scripts, I was like, “Oh, I get it. I really get it.” And I think people are going to get it after seeing Part One, the first part of it, because this first movie is just a full movie in and of itself. It stands on its own. It’s thrilling that we get to tell more story and that the second movie is going to be so powerful and moving, but it’s a full narrative story. It’s not just filling time.
The Playlist: Also, both of your characters, assuming it’s taking the songs from the musical, have a major song in the second movie in theory. Was there relief in that as well, being like, “Oh, O.K., I’m going to be in both films. “This is not just a one-off?
Marissa Bode: I think so.
Ethan Slater: And our characters get to kind of ramp up a little.
Marissa Bode: Yeah.
Ethan Slater: You know what I mean?
Marissa Bode: In the first film. We establish our characters for sure, and the relationships with each other and all the other characters as well, and the first film so that it does leave people wanting more and seeing where things go.
Ethan Slater: I think we’ll get it.
The Playlist: I didn’t get a chance to ask Jon this. Did you just shoot all the way through for both films or was there a break? Did you shoot some scenes for part one and others for part two at the same time?
Ethan Slater: There was a lot of overlap with a little cross-boarding where we would do the second movie stuff based on sets and things. There was definitely suddenly we were in movie two and then back to movie one.
Marissa Bode: Yeah, it wasn’t all chronological for me. I know that most of my part two stuff was saved for later, which was very helpful for me to, again, establish my character in the first part.
Ethan Slater: I guess mine kind of was too, but there’s a little back and forth.
Marissa Bode: But I also know that’s, that’s probably not necessarily true for the other cast members. I think there was probably a bit more back and forth for them.
The Playlist: The sets are absolutely stunning. Which one impressed you the most?
Marissa Bode: I think for me, it was Shiz University because of just the scale of it, how big it was, how practical it was in terms of building a whole lake and having this huge ramp and staircase to get up to the courtyard that was actually built and real and there. So, I mean, when I first rolled onto the set, I said, “Oh my God,” because oh my God, it’s so incredible.
Ethan Slater: And vast.
Marissa Bode: Yes.
Ethan Slater: Yeah, I think probably the same, although I’m just to add an additional one, being on the set of the Emerald City,
Marissa Bode: Which I didn’t get to meander over to, unfortunately.
Ethan Slater: I was there in the second movie.
Marissa Bode: Oh.
Ethan Slater: Yeah.
The Playlist: Spoiler.
Ethan Slater: No, no, no, no,
Marissa Bode: No. You heard nothing actually!
Ethan Slater: But it was super fun. The thing that was so cool about that one is, again, Shiz was vast and had these intricate things, but the Emerald City had shops with trinkets and souvenirs, and it was just so incredible and lively, and it felt like the best version of a theme park you could imagine. Actually, that’s a pretty good idea…
“Wicked” opens nationwide on Friday
