TheWickedmovie breaks barriers and opens doors because of the actor cast as Nessarose Thropp. As one of the longest-running Broadway musicals of all time, it’s no surprise that Universal Studios jumped at the chance to adapt the beloved show into a movie. However, there’s a double-edged sword when it comes to franchises with a fervent fanbase. The studio had a built-in audience but faced higher standards when it came to theWickedmovie getting things right.Any decision about casting theWickedmovie would be divisive, given the passion for the original Broadway cast.
Most online discussions about casting focused on who would play Elphaba and Galinda, the two most prominent roles in the film. However, the other main and supportingcharacters inWickedhave just as influential a role in the narrative, and selecting the right actors is equally important to the movie’s success. This is especially true for the character Nessarose, the younger sister of Elphaba, who attends Shiz University. Luckily, the Wicked movie selected a talented actor to play Nessa, and her casting takes a monumental step forward for onscreen representation.
Marissa Bode Plays Nessarose In Wicked
Bode Is New To Hollywood But Has A Passion For Theater
About a decade after she saw the musical onstage for the first time (viaThe Hollywood Reporter), actor Marissa Bode was cast as Nessa In thetwo-partWickedmovie. Bode had no significant presence in Hollywood before getting cast inWicked, only appearing in two short films. However, she has engaged in onstage acting since the age of 8, increasing her passion for the craft.
Is Wicked Connected To 1939’s The Wizard Of Oz?
Wicked has many parallels to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, but the stories’ connections are a bit more complicated than they first seem.
After high school,Marissa Bode attended the prestigious performing arts conservatory, American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles.This educational choice gave her the prime opportunity to network with people in the business and attend auditions. Though she’s had negative experiences auditioning as a wheelchair-using individual – which she explores in her short film,You’re Adorable– she has never let negative attitudes about her disability stop her drive to become a professional actor.
Marissa Bode Is The First Wheelchair User To Play Nessarose
Nessarose Is A Wheelchair User In The Broadway Musical And Book
Since Michelle Federer originated the role during the out-of-town tryouts,no actor who has played Nessarose in a production of Wicked has been an ambulatory or non-ambulatory wheelchair user– a frustrating choice for those of us in the disability community. Luckily, theWickedmovie specifically looked for an actor who uses a wheelchairto play the iconic character, eventually casting Marissa Bode in the role.
Bode spoke many times during the movie’s press tour about how much it means to her to be the wheelchair user who plays Nessa. In the Wicked Movie’s Nessarose video,the actor explains that she didn’t see almost any onscreen representation of herself as a physically disabled person, and she’s thrilled at the opportunity to provide that representation for young people. Marissa Bode’s casting in theWickedmovie could open doors for disabled actors who come after her and reflect the sentiment that authentic casting should become common practice in Hollywood.
