With "Wicked," director Jon M. Chu writes his own story
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 12 November 2024
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Now, the story of Elfaba the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch, and the Wizard himself is making the shift from stage to screen.
The director bringing the Broadway hit to screens across the country is Jon M. Chu, the director of the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.
The movie version of Wicked is in many ways the culmination of Chu's own story as a person of color. Chu always wanted to be a filmmaker. Chu says his life experience and career lead him to tell the story of a person of color in a new way.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The wickedest witch there ever was, the enemy of all of us here we cost is that. |
| 0:11.2 | Wicked. |
| 0:12.3 | The 20-year-old smash it on Broadway turns the story of the Wizard of Oz on its head. |
| 0:19.0 | You know, where the villain becomes the hero, and the hero becomes, well, it's complicated. |
| 0:25.7 | You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart. And now the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, |
| 0:37.9 | Glinda, the Good Witch, and the Wizard himself, |
| 0:40.6 | is making the shift from stage to screen. |
| 0:44.2 | Are people born, wicked? |
| 0:48.7 | Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? |
| 0:52.0 | And this movie cast is stacked with talent, with the likes of Cynthia Arrivo as the |
| 0:57.5 | Wicked Witch of the West, Ariana Grande as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and Jeff Goldblum |
| 1:03.2 | as the wonderful Wizard of Oz. |
| 1:06.0 | Just follow the road. It's going to be direct to me. |
| 1:12.4 | And it seems fitting that the person finally bringing the Broadway musical to movie theaters around the world is John Chu, the director behind this other blockbuster. |
| 1:28.6 | So, Lisa, what do you doing, Melika? |
| 1:31.9 | I'm an economics professor. |
| 1:34.9 | Oh, very impressive. |
| 1:38.5 | Econ professor, eh? |
| 1:40.6 | Wow, you must be very smart. |
| 1:42.3 | Good for you. |
| 1:44.0 | John Chu helped make significant strides for |
| 1:46.5 | Asian representation on film with crazy rich Asians in 2018. Let me get this straight. You both went |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.