Michelle Yeoh Had Doubts About Starring in ‘Wicked,’ Then Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Sent Her a Video: ‘It’s Imperative That You Join Us!’

variety.com:

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Michelle Yeoh wasn’t initially convinced she should be part of the hit musical “Wicked.” Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival, she said that, although Jon M.

Chu “could throw the phonebook at me and I would say yes,” she wasn’t sure she was the right choice to play Madame Morrible in the film until she got a surprise video from stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande straight from the film’s set.

In the video, the two stars said, “Michelle, it is imperative that you join us!” and, even though the Oscar winner can’t sing, she took on the role and joined Chu’s production almost immediately. “Cynthia and Ariana are so different but they fit each other perfectly,” Yeoh added. “When we were shooting ‘Wicked,’ I was doing the Oscar run to try pushing ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ To come back to that set was grounding.

When you are doing the Oscar thing it is wild and you are so scared that you are going to put the wrong foot forward and jeopardize your film.