The ‘Wicked’ actors Michelle Yeoh was terrified of: “I was literally squeaking”
Michelle Yeoh is arguably best known for her incredible work on Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and yes, that all-encompassing sci-fi-romance-drama-tragedy pulled and prodded at an amalgamation of many, many tropes, objects, and ideas, but there’s one thing it didn’t have: singing.
While chatting on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the actor recalled how she first came on board with Wicked, the global phenomenon that would go on to set its own box office record, and beat it again with the second instalment.
Despite the well-known imagery of Dorothy and her red shoes, Yeoh admitted that she had no prior relationship with the World of Oz before a life-changing phone call from director Jon M Chu, who personally asked her to star in the movies, sharing, “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’.”
Any initial excitement soon turned to dread as once she read through the script, the actor became sceptical that she’d fit the role he’d asked her to play, explaining, “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.”
A vision already in mind, the director was adamant that he would change her mind. Yeoh shared, “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.” Still unsure, she added, “I start mulling over it, going, ‘How can I pull this off?'”
In the end, all it took was Chu to get Cynthia Eviro and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Princess Glinda in the movies, respectively, to join in on his tirade, and the pair called Yeoh and told her, “It’s imperative and important that you join us now”.
Despite her agreement, she was still nervous on set, noting, “When I had to sing, I must say, I was terrified. These two girls…” It’s human nature to feel anxious before starting a new job, or even to feel a nauseating sense of imposter syndrome, though it is harder to believe that coveted actor Yeoh still has to go through the trials and tribulations of not believing they’re the person for the job.
However, while usually the first day is enough to quieten down any furious anxieties, it was not quite the case here, and when on set, Yeoh still felt that her singing ability wasn’t quite up to scratch. In short, she was still terrified of Erivo and Grande, sharing, “Bloody hell! They sing live! Cut me some slack, please! When we started my song [‘The Wizard And I’] with Cynthia Erivo, I was literally squeaking.”
Admittedly, the Wicked cast is terrifying, and while the fantastical cinematic world sees little room for the scary or ghoulish, the current press tour has been awash with strange stories, arrests on the yellow-brick-carpet, and overly zealous matching tattoos. It’s a lot to take in, and, most likely, a lot to be a part of if your character isn’t dressed in pink or green. From my end, sure, Yeoh did a great job holding her own, but I wouldn’t expect her to star in another singing role anytime soon.
