From pop stars to Broadway legends, many famous faces almost landed roles in the hit musical's film adaptation. Join us as we explore the talented celebrities who auditioned or were rumored to be in the running for iconic parts in "Wicked." Which star's potential casting surprised you the most?
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00:00oh my god yeah d dreamer welcome to ms mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the famous
00:05faces who could have been in wicked whether it was nothing more than just a rumor or they actually
00:10confirmed they had auditioned i'm like backstage painting myself green just waiting yes good
00:18number 20 spencer sutherland you might know this actor singer from his 2017 hit selfish
00:24or his time on the uk's the x-factor or maybe you spotted him in the tv series i know what
00:37you did last summer or afterlife of the party with victoria justice while appearing on the
00:42zach sang show sutherland revealed that he had actually landed a callback for fierro in the
00:46wicked movie even though he felt good about his audition he wasn't exactly shocked when he didn't
00:51get it i got a callback for the wicked oh yeah fierro yeah yeah it's really i thought it was a
00:56great audition and then they saw probably i don't know a thousand and a half people for it yeah i'm
01:01sorry i know it's okay do you really thought you're gonna get it no although when you come
01:05that close we imagine it's hard not to get your hopes up just a little still he gave listeners
01:10a teeny tiny sneak peek of what his fierro might have sounded like maybe i'm crazy i'm
01:16doing the whole maybe i'm blind i kind of do something like that in the audition it's kind
01:23of funny number 19 jesse j the british singer is rumored to have auditioned for alphaba in the
01:29wicked movie you might not know this but jesse j is a theater kid at heart having attended a
01:45performing arts school she got her first west end break at just 11 years old in andrew lloyd
01:50weber's whistle down the wind her career later veered toward pop stardom with hits like domino
01:55flashlight and price tag plus we already know that she and ariana grande sound bang banging
02:07together in 2021 jesse shared a video of herself singing defying gravity hmm could this have been
02:13an audition tape or even just her way of sending good vibes into the universe
02:27number 18 brian cranston from malcolm in the middle to breaking bad cranston has proven that
02:33he's got some serious range we could definitely see a version of the wizard that's played by hal
02:39child let's not forget he's also a tony award winning actor sure it was for a play but a tony's
02:51a tony while singing might not be his signature skill cranston has surprised us with his vocal
02:56talents before and no one did disturb the sound of silence jeff goldblum is undeniably brilliant
03:10as the wizard but part of us can't help wondering what cranston would bring to the role though his
03:14audition is still just a rumor if there's a tape out there we'd love to get our hands on it
03:27number 17 emelda staunton does anyone else feel like madame morrible and dolores umbridge would
03:35be total besties you have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again
03:43this is a lie given emelda staunton's brilliant portrayal of the latter it's easy to imagine her
03:51as shiz's head mistress with a stage resume boasting roles like mrs lovett in sweeney todd
03:56mama rose in gypsy and dolly levi in hello dolly and more staunton clearly has the chops for larger
04:03than life characters i want you so it's like i'm losing my mind while this casting rumor is just
04:13that a rumor it's fun to dream in 2021 her plate was pretty full starring in apple tv plus's trying
04:20and preparing to take over as queen elizabeth in the crown still with wicked thriving on both
04:25sides of the pond you never know things could still be coming up moreable for the actress
04:42number 16 ashley park today park is perhaps best known as mindy in emily in paris where her
04:48stunning voice has taken center stage several times
05:01but she has theater roots too with performances in miss saigon mama mia the king and i and more
05:07she also originated the role of gretchen wieners in mean girls on broadway
05:12earning a tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical yes regina no regina
05:17every waking hour i've been making sure regina george can stay in power if regina is the sun
05:23then i'm a disco ball because i'm just as bright and fun if you've had alcohol there are whispers
05:28that she's among the mean girls alums who auditioned to play glinda in john m choose
05:32wicked adaptation and if her tiktok reaction to watching the movie is anything to judge by
05:37we couldn't be happier to see her in the role on stage someday
05:45number 15 taylor louderman what is it about the plastics that just screams galinda or
05:51nearly does should we say musical theater fans will know louderman from shows like kinky boots
05:56bring it on the musical and of course is the original regina george and mean girls on broadway
06:08stand and stare at me she also set her sights on playing glinda in john m choose wicked adaptation
06:14but sadly it wasn't meant to be in a screenshot of an instagram story louderman seemed to express
06:20her disappointment about losing the role to a bigger name she opened up about the heartbreak
06:24of putting your soul into a project you care about deeply while trying your best to maintain
06:29a thick skin sounds like someone made the burn book i don't care who you are i don't care how
06:44just kidding but if she had one she wouldn't be the only mean girl writing in it
06:48more on that later
07:00number 14 anna kendrick anna kendrick is no stranger to singing on screen
07:05with roles in pitch perfect the last five years and into the woods
07:18her name has surely topped many wicked dream cast lists even amanda cyfrid once said kendrick
07:27would be her ideal alphabet to play opposite her glinda waiting five hours in line watching the
07:34girls just coming and going in dresses that look just like this so my number is finally called
07:43when asked about it kendrick told e-news that she didn't want to quote create a thing
07:48adding wicked is a masterpiece and a classic and it's an iconic show and that's all i'll say about
07:53that cryptic much anna feel free to stoke those rumors we know she's got what it takes her duet
07:59with og glinda kristin chenoweth will stay with us for good
08:20number 13 steve martin if you're thinking steve martin that famously nice guy playing the morally
08:26ambiguous wizard which of the pickwick triplets did it who of the crew would commit this crime
08:33my little frat pick it up equals back it's a story little story for a nursery rhyme
08:37let us remind you that he starred in a movie called the jerk also we have just one word for
08:41you dentist martin showed he could tap into his wicked side when he played the fear-inducing
08:47in little shop of horrors
09:01he also co-composed the music for the 2016 musical bright star
09:05and is a talented bluegrass artist even winning a grammy for his debut solo album the crow
09:11new songs for the five string banjo
09:24with his perfect comedy timing charisma and versatility we're sure martin would have been
09:29a great fit for the wizard if goldbloom had been unavailable but again this is just a rumor
09:35number 12 nicole scherzinger a screen adaptation of wicked has been discussed for years so it's
09:41no surprise that a ton of names have been floated for the role of elphaba
09:45one unconfirmed potential was the former pussycat doll
09:55she reportedly had discussions with producers but ultimately decided to pass on the role
09:59beyond her pop career scherzinger is a classically trained artist who attended
10:03a performing arts school
10:15recently fans have been amazed by her vocal range in stage shows like rent
10:20cats and sunset boulevard she's even performed songs from other andrew lloyd weber classics
10:25needless to say her talent to take on almost any role is truly unlimited
10:30so
10:40number 11 jennifer lopez don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got
10:45j-lo is another celeb who reportedly hoped to land the role of madame morrible in wicked
10:52still i'm still jenny from the block while lopez isn't known for her musical theater background
10:59she's undeniably a triple threat
11:09she has some stage credits from a school production of godspell to touring regional
11:13shows like jesus christ superstar and oklahoma outside of her music career we've seen her in
11:18musical roles in this is me now a love story and of course selena
11:35anyway as we now know the role went to michelle yeoh however j-lo attended the la premiere of
11:41wicked so even if the rumors are baseless we know she's definitely a fan number 10 kristin
11:48migliotti have you met kristin migliotti the self-professed wicked super fan revealed that
11:53the film's team reached out to her for an audition while playing alphaba would have been a dream role
11:58the pressure of hitting that iconic defying gravity riff weighed heavily on her mind leading up to the
12:04audition all i could hear was like and anytime i would talk to someone i would like be like 500
12:10miles away just like quietly thinking of like like over and over and over she shared her experience
12:16with jimmy fallon saying everything went well until that moment honestly the way she tells it
12:21is quite funny the sound that escaped me is something i will hear on my deathbed like i will
12:28never not hear what i did in that room it was disgusting migliotti who played girl in the tony
12:35award-winning musical once and earned a best actress in a musical nomination shared her desire
12:41to return to the stage with a little more practice on that battle cry who knows alphaba could still
12:47be in her future
12:57number nine ryan mccartan this actor is no stranger to the world of wicked having played fierro during
13:03the show's 15th anniversary mccartan's range is undeniable you might recognize him as diggy
13:09smalls from live and maddie or as jd from the original off-broadway cast of heathers the musical
13:25he's kept busy acting on stage and screen and even co-launched a youtube channel called the
13:30stage door it's there that he revealed he had auditioned to play fierro in the movie you didn't
13:35cast me in the movie even though i worked so hard that's fine no hard feelings confirmed i
13:41did audition have i said that on this channel before no you haven't in a reaction video to
13:46the film's trailer mccartan jokingly said he had quote no hard feelings towards you
13:51he even hilariously fished for a premiere invite as compensation for the snub a little
13:55consolation prize maybe it's a little little invite for the stage door number eight renee
14:02her name is renee rap and she's a massive deal
14:15we told you there would be another plastic on our list rap is instantly recognizable for her
14:20powerhouse vocals in both the stage and 2024 screen adaptations of mean girls
14:24where she played queen b regina george
14:37maybe you know her from the hbo teen com the sex lies of college girls or perhaps you've been
14:41following her music career during a q a segment on watch what happens live after show rap had to
14:46break it to a fan that ariana grande had already been announced for the role of glenda is there
14:51any truth or rumor that you were in the running to play glenda in the upcoming film a wicked
14:56um so no because it is ariana grande um but thank you she also revealed that she auditioned for the
15:05part and while she didn't get it she seems pretty content to have lost out to grande did you
15:10audition uh i i did i did audition for i did yeah okay ariana's gonna be can i tell us yeah okay
15:17she's gonna be amazing number seven sean mendez as we mentioned earlier a screen adaptation of
15:23wicked has been in the works for years at one point multi-award winning director slash producer
15:28stephen daldry was attached to the project while he was at the helm canadian singer songwriter sean
15:33mendez was reportedly being considered for the role of fierro
15:47and you might be surprised to learn he's dabbled in acting too
15:54as a child he took acting lessons and even auditioned for the disney channel in toronto
15:59though he admits his nerves got the best of him when it came to learning lines
16:02he certainly looks the part and we're curious to see how he'd fare in the role
16:11baby there's nothing holding me back number six amy adams amy adams is one of those actors who
16:18simply can't be pigeonholed from american hustle to enchanted and a long list of oscar-nominated
16:24roles adams has proven she can do it all
16:29oh
16:38yet there's one role she's always wanted to add to her impressive resume while unsure if she had
16:43the stamina for an eight show week adams hoped the chance to play elphaba would come her way
16:48perhaps for a one-off performance adams began her career in dinner theater but most first saw her
16:55as a triple threat when she played giselle in enchanted alongside og elphaba dina menzel and
17:00again in the muppets thanks to disenchanted we got a glimpse of her wicked side too
17:15number five dove cameron you know cameron from live and maddie and from hairspray live
17:21where she starred alongside ariana grande and original glinda kristin chenoweth
17:35she also shared the screen with chenoweth in schmigadoon and descendants don't you wanna be
17:40evil like me don't you wanna be cruel don't you wanna be nasty and brutal and cool
17:49uh cameron is another star who revealed she auditioned to play glinda in 2019 she was
17:55already addressing rumors about being cast sharing that the role was a childhood dream
17:59oh my god i would love to do it i'd love to do it i mean i think every girl every girl on the
18:04face of the planet would love to be a part of wicked more recently she described the audition
18:09process as a journey saying quote it was one of the longer processes i've been a part of
18:13even though she didn't land the role she's ready to be her friend ariana's biggest cheerleader
18:18with her ties to wicked royalty who knows maybe broadway will come calling and she'll still get
18:23glinda fight someday oh my god yeah d dreamer number four joe and nick jonas the competition
18:30to land a role in the highly anticipated wicked movie must have been fierce now imagine part of
18:35that competition is your own sibling most recently and we've never talked about this publicly so i'm
18:39gonna say it here but we both auditioned for the same role joe and i was for wicked when the jonas
18:43brothers popped into dax shepherd's armchair expert podcast nick shared that both he and joe
18:48auditioned for fierro the no worries there wasn't much rivalry since they both wanted quote someone
18:54with the last name jonas to win we're competitive in sports and other things but when it comes to
18:58our career i think we genuinely both looked each other we said like go in there and kill it because
19:02it's got to be one of us it has to be one of us nick also told variety that he felt he nailed his
19:07audition adding that it was a role he quote always thought would be fun to play while the part
19:12ultimately went to jonathan bailey it sounds like nick is excited to enjoy his wicked experience as
19:17a fan having said it was never got that call number three leah michelle given how many people saw
19:25striking similarities between the glee actress and the woman who would later play her on-screen mom
19:30it's no surprise fans expected leah michelle to follow in her footsteps
19:48by the sounds of it michelle wouldn't have minded hopping on that broomstick either
19:52during an appearance on watch what happens live she was asked if she was in the running to play
19:57i don't think that they've gotten to the point of talking to people about it yet if they have
20:00they haven't called me but you'd be into it right i would yes i'm like backstage painting myself
20:05green just waiting yes good she admitted she hadn't received any calls but let's be honest
20:10michelle has more than proven she's got what it takes at the time though it seemed like it would
20:15remain nothing but a dream still she seemed ready with the green paint on standby just in case
20:27number two amanda seyfried many of us first met seyfried as karen smith in mean girls
20:33but she's also shown off her musical talent in movie musicals like les miserables and both
20:37mamma mia films
20:51seyfried hoped to add glinda from wicked to that list sharing that she auditioned while juggling
20:56her role in hulu's the dropout she said she quote bent over backwards for her audition while quote
21:01playing the hardest role of her life seyfried also explained that she wasn't totally satisfied
21:06with her performance as cassette and wanted to show how much her vocal skills have improved since
21:10then and it seems well that i long to see how to breach just a whisper away waiting for me
21:21she even joked that the audition still haunts her dreams as we know she didn't land the gig
21:26well as elphaba says we can't all come and go by bubble i found what i felt like i was
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21:49number one lady gaga back when steven daldry was in charge lady gaga was hoping fortune
21:54would rain on her to land the role of elphaba
22:03talks reportedly began between the director and the singer but they fell apart when daldry had
22:07to step away due to scheduling conflicts gaga born stephanie germanotta originally dreamed of
22:13acting but pivoted to music after struggling to break into the industry that pivot paid off
22:1813 grammys and 18 vmas later she turned her sights back to acting from american horror story
22:25to starring in movie musicals like a star is born and joker folia de gaga's talents are outstanding
22:40still it wasn't meant for her to be just dancing through life
22:49damn we think we can all agree the film was perfectly cast but there's still always the
22:56stage so who do you think would be the perfect casting for the show let us know in the comments
23:01we have nothing but the highest hopes for some of you do you agree with our picks check out this
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