As his highly anticipated sequel to Wicked prepares to dominate the Christmas cinema landscape, director Jon M Chu has opened up about the film's powerful themes, his dynamic leading ladies, and his personal journey living the American dream.
The Magic Continues: Wicked's Second Chapter
The first Wicked film reimagined the Land of Oz from the perspective of the misunderstood green witch, Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and her complex friendship with Glinda, portrayed by Ariana Grande. The story revealed Oz not as a magical paradise but as a society built on discrimination, oppression, and fascism, with the animal kingdom serving as an enslaved underclass.
Chu, speaking at London's Corinthia hotel on Remembrance Sunday, described the story's enduring relevance. "Any timeless story feels timely because it's about the human condition," he reflected. "When people become too powerful, what happens to the powerless? That cycle, unfortunately, challenges us every few generations, and maybe this is our moment."
The sequel, titled Wicked: For Good, delves deeper into these themes of segregation and identity. Together, the two films represent over five hours of cinematic storytelling. "I just knew it had enough meat in it," Chu stated nonchalantly about the epic runtime.
Perfect Casting: Finding Truth in Fantasy
The casting of Erivo and Grande now seems inevitable, but Chu revealed his initial doubts. He worried Erivo might be "too edgy" and Grande "too global" a pop star for the roles. However, their auditions proved transformative.
"When she came in, she wasn't the pop star Ari, she was Glinda," Chu recalled of Grande's audition, which he made her repeat four or five times. He noted that her performance carried a profound depth, likely informed by her personal tragedies, including the Manchester Arena bombing and the death of her ex, Mac Miller.
Similarly, Erivo's rendition of Elphaba's journey resonated with Chu's own experiences. "I felt like she was singing about me, dreaming about being a director in my dorm room," he shared. The director also confirmed that neither actress pre-recorded their vocals, a remarkable feat given the amount of time their characters spend flying.
A Personal Mission: From Melting Pot to Cinema
Chu's filmography, including Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, consistently explores themes of multicultural identity. He speaks from personal experience, as the son of immigrants who arrived in the United States with nothing.
"My parents came to the United States with nothing except for the dream," he explained. "They started a restaurant, and it's still there to this day, 55 years later. And I got to do the most American job of all, telling stories in movies."
He challenges the concept of the "melting pot," offering a more nuanced metaphor. "Melting is not fun. I got to be born in a melting pot... and maybe it's not melting at all. Maybe it's a soup in which we're all still our own selves, in the same bowl."
This perspective became more urgent after having children. "I want them to live in a world where they're proud of who they are," he said, explaining his deliberate choice to chase stories like Crazy Rich Asians.
A Human-Made Epic for Turbulent Times
Chu sees Wicked: For Good as arriving at a precisely relevant moment. The project was green-lit at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when "we felt like strangers in our own homes." In an age of AI and digital uncertainty, he takes pride in announcing that no generative AI was used in the film's production.
"If you see the camera shake, if you see a dancer and they're not quite on time, that's because humans made this," he asserted. "The string that plays just a little bit off-tempo, the wrinkle in her nose, that's because it's human-made. The world is part of the message."
He considers himself on the frontlines of storytelling during a period of "political upheaval, social upheaval, cultural identity crises all around us." For Chu, cinema remains one of the few protected spaces where audiences willingly immerse themselves in another's perspective.
"Movies are one of the few protected spaces," he mused. "You have to put your phone aside, you sit with friends and strangers, you pay attention for two hours and you see the world through someone else's eyes... I feel a grand responsibility - if people are giving me this time, coming into this bubble, I have to use it."
Wicked: For Good is scheduled for release on 21 November.
