When it was announced that Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation of the hit stage musical Wicked was going to split the two acts into two separate movies, theater lovers were dubious, to say the least.
If you didn’t know, Wicked is renowned for having a weaker second half, with most of the biggest songs in the musical — like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” — taking place in Act One. The storyline also becomes much darker in Act Two, and complaints have been made about plot holes and unsatisfactory character development over the years.
So, when Wicked’s movie sequel, Wicked: For Good, was released last week, it’s perhaps unsurprising that it failed to reach the same dizzying levels of fan adoration and critical acclaim as the first film.
In fact, social media has been dominated with discourse about how disappointed viewers have been left by the movie, with everything from the lighting to the performances being heavily criticized online — and one of the biggest sources of criticism has been Michelle Yeoh’s performance as Madame Morrible.
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It’s worth noting that Michelle appeared in the first movie, too, but her role is much more prominent in the second half — and the character of Madame Morrible also has more to sing in Act Two of the musical, and this is where most people have found issue with her performance.
But amid all of the scrutiny, some people have remembered that Michelle has always been incredibly open about the fact that she can’t sing — and even warned Jon of this when he wanted to cast her in the role.
During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last year, Michelle told the host that Jon called her to say that he wanted her to play Madame Morrible without her even auditioning. She said: “He called me and he said: ‘I would like you to read the script, I really would love for you to play Madame Morrible’. And I go: ‘OK.'”
“And so I read it. I know The Wizard of Oz very well, but I hadn’t seen the musical Wicked. I call him back, and I say: ‘Jon, my love, it’s a musical – and I don’t sing.’ Not properly or professionally or anything like that,” Michelle went on. “So then, typical of Jon, he says: ‘Don’t worry about it’. I swear to god this guy is a visionary, and he can convince you to do the impossible.”
Despite Jon’s unwavering faith, Michelle admitted that she was still unsure, sharing: “I start mulling over it, going, ‘How can I pull this off?'” Ultimately, Michelle agreed to sign on to the movie when Jon called her back with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play the leads in the film. She recalled the two stars telling her: “It’s imperative and important that you join us now.”
But being on set with Ariana and Cynthia only made Michelle more nervous when it was time for her to sing, with Michelle telling Stephen: “When I had to sing, I must say, I was terrified. These two girls. Bloody hell! They sing live! Cut me some slack, please. When we started my song with Cynthia Erivo, I was literally squeaking.”
She added that Cynthia then gave her a pep talk, which is what gave her the confidence to sing live. It’s worth noting that Michelle even joked in a separate interview with Variety that she genuinely thought she was going to be recast when they heard her sing.
So, with all of this in mind, people feel bad that Michelle is getting so much flak for her singing now. One tweet that has been liked more than 28,000 times reads: “Pisses me off even more knowing Michelle Yeoh literally told Jon M Chu she’s not a singer and they cast her anyways.”
What do you make of the whole situation? Let me know in the comments below!
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