WICKED Movie Seeking Wheelchair Users For Role Of Nessarose

Shoba Narayan as Nessarose in Wicked (Joan Marcus)

The Telsey Office is holding virtual casting calls for the role of Nessarose for the upcoming Wicked movie. They say they would like to cast “authentically” and are encouraging wheelchair users (ambulatory or non-ambulatory) of any ethnicity to audition for the part. 

Nessarose is wheelchair bound throughout most of the show, only gaining the ability to walk when Elphaba (her sister) casts a spell on her slippers, turning them red in the process. If you haven’t seen The Wizard of Oz in a while, this means that Nessarose is indeed the Wicked Witch of the East. 

I think it’s pretty cool they are looking for an actual wheelchair user for the movie as obvious limitations have prevented directors from doing so on stage. I just worry what it will mean for the scenes where she does walk, but hopefully they know what they are doing with that. Overall I have mixed feelings about the entire movie, mostly because it is such a great show to see on stage it’s hard to imagine it translating well to film. But I’m happy to be proven wrong. Are you excited for this to come out? 

Source: Playbill