INDIANAPOLIS — "Thank you, Jon Chu."
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") is crediting her "Crazy Rich Asians" director for calling and asking her to take on the villainous role of Madame Morrible in the highly anticipated film adaptations of "Wicked."
"I read the script, and then I called him back and said, 'Jon, you know I don't sing. This is a singing role,'" Yeoh said. "The next thing I knew, he had Ariana (Grande) and Cynthia (Erivo) video me and say, 'It's imperative you come and join us now.' How do you say no to that?"
For those who aren't familiar with the Broadway musical or book its based on, "Wicked" tells the origin story of how the misunderstood Elphaba (Erivo) becomes the Wicked Witch of the West that audiences know of in "The Wizard of Oz." She attends Shiz University, under headmistress Madame Morrible (Yeoh), alongside the prim and popular Galinda (Grande).
Audiences will notice in the trailer, Yeoh takes an understated, more sinister tone in Madame Morrible's iconic quote – "this wicked witch" – before the start of "Defying Gravity."
"It's very different when you're in the theater because everything has to be exaggerated and very big so that it gets all the way through to the end of the aisle," Yeoh said. "(On film), the subtly and nuisances and complexity of emotions can be underplayed but captured so beautifully."
And although official reviews are still under embargo, audiences who have seen early screenings of "Wicked" are enthusiastically praising the film and performances.
"When you start off making something, you only have the best intentions for it. You only have love for it. And when you put it out there, it's like, 'Please love us' because you can't guarantee, you can't control. You can only do your best, and hopefully, your best is good enough for people who have loved this musical for the last two decades," Yeoh said.
"Wicked" opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 22.