Jonathan Bailey reveals he had just FOUR DAYS of rehearsals before filming Wicked: For Good as he juggled two acting jobs after landing the role

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Jonathan Bailey only had four days to prepare for his popular role in the upcoming Wicked movies. He was already committed to two other acting jobs when he got the part, making rehearsals a tight squeeze.

Even before becoming the biggest movie star of 2025, the actor was highly sought after. Studio executives wanted him for the role of Prince Fiyero while he was already appearing in both the TV series Bridgerton and the film Fellow Travellers.

Studio executives really wanted Jonathan to star in the movie, and he recently shared that this left him with very little time to get ready for the part.

Jonathan quickly won over audiences in the first Wicked movie, and he played a leading role in the second film, Wicked: For Good, which finished director Jon M. Chu’s take on the popular Broadway show.

In the film, Fiyero surprised everyone by leaving his wedding to Glinda (Ariana Grande) to confess his love for Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who was rejected by the citizens of Oz.

One of my favorite moments in Wicked is when Fiyero and Elphaba finally get their happily ever after! It’s so romantic – he pretends she’s gone, then they reunite and escape Oz together. Seeing them sing ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ during that scene always gives me chills – it’s the perfect ending to their story, and a beautiful reminder that love can conquer anything.

Jonathan explained to The Hollywood Reporter that a delay in his film, Fellow Travellers, unexpectedly opened the door for him to join the cast of Wicked. This happened after the original star, Matt Bomber, tested positive for Covid.

He explained that he traveled from Canada to London to meet with director Jon M. Chu. He had already filmed for three days on Bridgerton and was scheduled to return home, but the date for Wicked had changed, making it possible for him to stay.

I immediately understood Fiyero’s role and the potential of the project. I envisioned working independently and then presenting my contributions, which I believed would protect Cynthia and Ariana’s energy, as they were already working incredibly hard.

It seems unbelievable that I only had four days to rehearse while others practiced for months, but having talented people to work with made all the difference. Ultimately, you just have to trust your gut.

Honestly, when I saw it, I just knew I had to push myself to the absolute limit. I poured everything I had into it, completely drained myself… it felt like there was nothing left. But thankfully, I’d prepared, you know? I had these amazing things I could use to cover up how completely exhausted I was. They really saved me, letting me keep going even when I felt empty inside.

In the final scenes of Wicked, Elphaba turned Fiyero into a scarecrow to protect him from the Oz guards. The actor portraying Fiyero spent many hours wearing detailed makeup and prosthetics to film these concluding scenes.

The new movie, For Good, had a very strong opening weekend, earning $150 million in the US and already surpassing the performance of its predecessor.

The show has broken records, achieving the biggest opening weekend ever for a Broadway musical adapted into a movie. It earned more than the opening weekend of ‘Wicked’ last year ($112.5 million) and is now the third-highest-grossing opening weekend for any musical movie, only behind ‘The Lion King’ (2019) and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017).

A lot of the film’s success is thanks to the strong performances by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, especially Grande’s performance as Glinda, which is already being talked about as a potential Oscar contender.

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised Ariana Grande’s performance in the second film, saying she truly embodies Glinda and brings a radiant quality to the role.

This film had the second-highest opening weekend before Thanksgiving and is currently the second-biggest three-day launch of 2025, only behind “A Minecraft Movie.”

The movie includes two original songs – “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl In The Bubble” – sung by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as solo performances.

People had different opinions about the new songs in ‘Wicked For Good,’ but one viewer expressed their disapproval on X, simply writing, ‘They shouldn’t have added those new songs.’

Someone else said they were disappointed with “Wicked For Good” and felt sad about it, as they didn’t enjoy it as much as they’d hoped.

The film has received mostly positive reviews, despite a few criticisms. Brian Viner, a film critic for The Daily Mail, gave it a perfect five-star rating, calling it as good as, or even better than, the original.

He added: ‘Like last year’s film, this one is extravagantly sumptuous on the eye.

The stage design and costumes are breathtaking, and the scene of the animals leaving Oz – having lost their ability to talk due to Morrible’s actions – is beautifully done.

Erivo and Grande both give outstanding performances and are sure to receive widespread praise.

One viewer commented online that the show felt slow and disjointed, and that the new songs weren’t needed, ultimately saying it just didn’t live up to expectations.

Someone else commented that they didn’t understand the approach, believing the creators were aiming for an award for best original song. They expected Stephen Schwartz to focus heavily on creating truly original music.

When I first heard the song ‘For Good’ from Wicked, I was honestly underwhelmed – I thought, ‘Is that really the best they could come up with?’

The popular musical “Wicked” is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name. That novel, in turn, was inspired by the classic story of the Wizard of Oz – specifically, L. Frank Baum’s book and the beloved 1939 movie featuring Judy Garland.

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2025-11-27 17:49