Wicked: Everything to Know About Costumes & Make-up for Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo
Meet the legendary costumer designer and makeup artist behind the iconic style of Wicked.
Ahead of the November 22 premiere, NBC Insider went to the Universal Backlot to immerse ourselves in the world of Wicked. We sat down with make-up artist Frances Hannon and costume designer Paul Tazewell in a recreation of Elphaba and Glinda’s dorm room at Shiz University to talk about the dazzling looks of everyone’s two favorite witches.
When Hannon and Tazewell came on board to director Jon Chu's adaptation of the beloved musical, they had hundreds of characters to translate to the big screen, from the reimagined Munchkins to the supervillainous Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). But none were as iconic — and challenging — as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) with her green skin and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the blonde, bubbly witch. Beloved for generations, their distinctive styles have a far-reaching impact in the Wicked universe, from costumes that allow for stunt work to the movie’s branded merch.
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It was a tall task, but the two industry aces were up for the challenge. The number one priority was “honoring the fanbase and culture” of both the original 1939 movie and the Broadway musical, said Tazewell, who won a Tony for Hamilton’s costume design and an Emmy for The Wiz Live! Meanwhile, Hannon took home the Best Hair and Makeup Oscar for the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Who better than to give Glinda and Elphaba a modern update while paying tribute to the witches that came before?
Why Glinda's signature color in Wicked is pink
In the opening scenes of Universal’s Wicked, we see Glinda floating in her bubble, sparkly wand in hand — we know exactly who she is. Still, eagle-eyed fans of the stage production may notice something new. “When she arrives in the bubble in the original Wicked musical… you have an ice blue and a beautiful dress, but I wanted to harken back to the original 1930s film and make it pink,” Tazewell revealed. The bubblegum hue became Glinda’s “defining color throughout her wardrobe because I knew it would be very effective in showing her femininity, the effervescence of her character.”
Hannon collaborated with Tazewell on Glinda’s hair and makeup, “keeping it iridescent, opalescent, and whimsical.” She continued, “All that beauty that Paul created we kept flowing on the top, tiny bits of sparkle, but definitely not a sparkle show.” Hannon also turned to the original Wizard of Oz as a starting point, but “never copying… I always research the artists Ariana and Cynthia as people themselves to see everything they’ve been in so you can [find] good points you can pull out from… or something to avoid." For instance, Grande’s high ponytail is so distinctive that a ponytail was an absolute no-go for Hannon.
Updating Glinda's “bubble dress”
Tazewell’s biggest challenge was modernizing the “fairy princess dress” for today’s audiences. “I went about reinterpreting what that original silhouette is … It’s kind of this very princess dress silhouette. Ours for the Wicked film is now seen through the lens of 2024 and what we know of as a fairy princess dress and then how we see sculptural shapes. So I was trying to translate that into a much more original version of the bubble dress.”
Crafted from layers upon layers of translucent silk, Tazewell incorporated some serious engineering underneath, including a nylon structure to keep it looking “buoyant and light as air” on Grande — but stable enough for the dance scenes.
The secret to Elphaba’s Wicked look
Getting Elphaba’s makeup right required months of research and several layers, beginning with airbrushing the green, contouring with purples and darks, and finally adding makeup. “That made Cynthia work and not look face painted,” said Hannon. Erivo did her own stunts, belting out the songs live on set while strapped in a corset and often swinging from a harness. Hannon chose to keep her hair simple, “tight to her head,” to “leave something of Cynthia to be Elphaba and not have her swamped by everything that’s around her.”
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For Tazewell, Elphaba’s “Emerald City” frock was “neck-in-neck,” with Glinda’s bubble dress in terms of complexity. “It’s one of my favorites,” he admitted. “It’s a micro-pleated chiffon, and the pattern undulates as it moves across the surface,” he swooned. “The shape and all the underpinnings allow for the dress to move as fluidly as it does on Cynthia.”
Although the movie’s gorgeous aesthetics sometimes look as light as air, the more you know about Wicked, the more nuanced — and epic — it gets.
How can you watch Wicked?
Wicked is now showing exclusively in theaters. Get tickets at Fandango.
