Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh Talk Wicked and the Olympic Refugee Team (WATCH)
Two of the stars of Wicked arrived in Paris this week to talk about their new film, and Yeoh's Olympic role.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris kick off today on the NBC family of networks (check out today's schedule here), and that means over the next couple of weeks we'll see loads of amazing athletic feats, beautiful sights, and of course, stars turning out to the support the games and the athletes. Two of those stars in Paris for the opening ceremony are Wicked actors Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh, and on Friday morning they joined Today to talk about the film and Yeoh's inspiring Olympics role.
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In director Jon M. Chu's new, two-part film adaptation of the beloved musical, Erivo plays Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, as she begins her magical journey as a young student. Yeoh plays Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz University, where Elphaba and her new roommate Galinda (Ariana Grande) are attending. Fans of the Broadway musical that inspired the films, adapted from Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, will no doubt recognize these character names, and according to Erivo, that recognizability will carry through to the film.
Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh Talk Wicked on Today
"You'll recognize the show," Erivo told Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. "We've tried to keep as true as we possibly could, but we're lucky because we're on film, so we could open the world up a little bit more, and you'll get to know these wonderful people more."
But the stars weren't just there to promote their movie, which arrives in theaters this Thanksgiving. For Yeoh, visiting the Paris Olympics was also a bit more personal, as she serves on the International Olympic Committee as a representative of her home country, Malaysia. This allows Yeoh a say in deciding where future Olympic Games will be held. She's also a member of the Olympic Refuge Foundation, an organization devoted to supporting refugee athletes who join the Olympic Refugee Team.
Established in 2015, the Refugee Team allows athletes who are refugees from their home countries, due to war and other forms of displacement, a chance to be Olympic athletes. According to the IOC, the 2024 Refugee Team includes 37 athletes representing "more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide." As part of her work with the IOC and the ORF, Yeoh presented Erivo, Guthrie, and Kotb with pins representing the Refugee Team, and encouraged viewers and members of tonight's Opening Ceremony audience to raise their hands in a heart symbol in support of the refugee athletes.
"When they come out tonight, we hope that all of you will open up your hearts to them, and give them the heart, because this is hope for them," Yeoh said. "This is giving them a chance to have their dreams come true, so please join us all."
Wicked is in theaters November 22, and click here for the latest on the Paris Olympics.
