You don’t have to give details, but did any significant casting change occur because of that?
No, I mean, that was the great thing. I mean, once those women were cast, schedules change. Oops. Now we only get Jeff Goldblum on these dates. Those dates. But no, people were committed to doing this movie, and they were going to make it work.
Outside of Elphaba and Glinda, what was the toughest role to cast?
Outside of those two women, Fiyero? Because now the two women are cast, so now you’re trying to find the male equivalent to the two of them, the powerhouses that they are. And Fierro, even doing the stage show. It’s a leading man, which sounds like, well, a dime a dozen, or there’s a million people, but he had to be this privileged, spoiled, full of himself, but at the same time, unbelievably nice and appealing and engaging. How do you love to not like him and then know that he’s got to carry the weight of these two relationships and really be an honest and vulnerable and loving person, and then sing really high, and then be a f**king killer dancer. So, for all of that, you need the sexiest man alive. And who would’ve known? I’m glad he said yes, because a lot of people say no. That took a long time. And he was never in the picture anymore because he wasn’t available. And there were always great men and great actors who auditioned. So even in a business decision, it’s a little tricky. You want the qualities of a star, but it’s not the starring role. So it was a lot of things, and it was a long, long shoot. It was an insanely long shoot.
Obviously, it’s the first year for this category. It’s the first year for the shortlist. Listen, shortlists, don’t get framed on walls, but did making it mean anything to you from your peers?
Oh my God, yes. I mean, listen, the shortlist means a lot for these 30 days. Now I just watch my own staff. I know how big the Academy’s branches of casting directors is. I know how many casting directors are working in theater, film, and TV. That’s my job to know that. And again, I’m so thrilled that it’s even happening for anyone, whether I know them or not. But then to stop and go, “Oh, wait, I’m part of that.” Just the fact that it’s happening. Because many of us have worked so hard for this to happen, and it’s happening. But then to also go, “Oh, wait, but I’m also one of the 10, and I could be one of the five.” That’s freaking crazy.
It’s amazing.
Yeah, it’s fantastic. It reminds me of 10 holiday parties ago for my staff. And we’d all be around the room, and you’d ask, “You’ve been casting for a year or 20 years or 30 years, and who’s the actor that you wish you could work with and meet that you’ve never met?” I would say Meryl Streep. And yet now I’ve done four movies with her, and we can email one another, and we know each other. But I remember when that happened, and it was like, “Wait, how is this happening? How is she in my office, reading with men to play opposite? And how do I know her?” And that’s what this feels like, unreachable, yet it’s one of 10. It’s reachable. It’s reachable.
I know a majority of the members of the branch are actually in the US or the UK, but so many international films made the list. But I think some industry lifers don’t realize how sophisticated casting directors are, that they would even consider some of these international films for this award. Were you pleasantly surprised, or were you like, “Well, of course we would nominate these great ensembles”?
Of course, we would. I mean, here’s the one thing. The casting members, even if you are not having tea or dinner with every single one of them, the unit is really a close unit. Whether we’re up for the same movie or the same project, that’s a given. Just like going to the dentist is not fun. That’s a given. We’re going to be up against each other, but we are a really tight unit because we worked so hard 16 years ago to become a union and get insurance for film and TV. We worked so hard to become a branch at the Academy rather than the general membership. We worked so hard to get a category, so we all know what everyone does. And this also being the first year, the branch was really strong in making sure that we were going to get the list and the access to watch every movie so that everyone can be eligible and be seen. Right? It’s all about being seen. That’s everywhere. So, how wonderful that the branch did exactly all the things that we said we were going to do? And I know a lot of those international casting directors, and just so thrilled.
My last question for you is, obviously, I know no one ever wants to play favorites, but from your upcoming projects, whether film, television, or stage, is there one that you’re most excited about based on just the casting?
Sure. “Being Heumann,” which is a movie that we did with Sian Heder, who did “Coda.” She wrote and is directing this movie, which is about the life of Judy Heumann, who, you might not know, is the woman who, in the seventies, with cerebral palsy, created the Disability Act. [Prompted by] sit-down [protests]in DC and San Francisco. This is a story of her life, and the movie is filled with all different actors with physical challenges and disabilities, as well as able-bodied actors. And it’s just a huge ensemble of great, great actors. And we got to go up to the shoot, and the table read and watch, because this was auditioning all through Zoom. I mean, yes, the leads were in person and stuff like that, but so many breaks for people who don’t normally have the opportunity to really play a lead role, not just one person, but dozens. So, I’m really excited to see what that’s going to look like. It was really wonderful to be on set.
“Wicked for Good” is playing nationwide and is available on VOD.
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
