When it was announced that Guys M. Payment adaptation of the popular musical Wicked was going to split the two acts into two separate films, theatergoers were dubious, to say the least.
If you didn't know Wicked is known for having a weaker second half, with most of the musical's most popular songs, such as “Defying Gravity” and “Popular”, occurring in the first act. The storyline also becomes much darker in the second act, and there have been complaints over the years about plot holes and poor character development.
So when Wicked continuation of the film, Evil: For goodwas released last week, it's perhaps unsurprising that it failed to achieve the same dizzying levels of fan adoration and critical acclaim as the first film.
In fact, social media is dominated by discussions about how disappointed audiences are with the film, with everything from the lighting to the performances coming under fire online – and one of the biggest sources of criticism was Michelle Yeoh playing the role of Madame Morrible.
It's worth noting that Michelle appeared in the first film, but her role is much more prominent in the second half – and Madame Morrible's character also has some singing to do in the second act of the musical, which is where most people had trouble with her performance.
But despite all this scrutiny, some people have recalled that Michelle has always been incredibly open about the fact that she can't sing, even warning Jon M. Chu about it when he wanted to cast her in the role.
During a speech at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Last year, Michelle told the presenter that John called her and said he wanted her to play Madame Morrible even without an audition. She said: “He called me and said, 'I'd like you to read the script, I'd really like you to play Madame Morrible.' And I say, “Okay.”
“And so I read it. I know The Wizard of Oz very good, but I haven't seen the musical Wicked. I call him back and say, “John, my love, this is a musical—and I don’t sing.” Not properly or professionally or anything like that,” Michelle continued. “And then, typical of John, he says, 'Don't worry about it.' I swear to God, this guy is a visionary and he can convince you to do the impossible.”
Despite John's unwavering faith, Michelle admitted that she's still unsure, sharing, “I'm starting to wrap my head around it, thinking, 'How do I make this happen?'” Michelle finally agreed to sign on for the film when John called her back and said: Ariana Grande And Cynthia Erivowho played the main roles in the film. She recalled the two stars telling her, “It is necessary and important that you join us now.”
But being on set with Ariana and Cynthia only made Michelle even more nervous when it came time for her to sing, with Michelle telling Steven: “When I had to sing, I have to say, I was terrified. Those two girls. Damn it! They're singing live! Relax, please. When we started my song with Cynthia Erivo, I was literally squealing.”
She added that Cynthia then gave her a pep talk, which gave her the confidence to sing live. It is worth noting that Michelle even joked in a separate interview with the publication Diversity that she honestly thought she was going to be changed when they heard her sing.
So, given all this, people feel bad that Michelle is now being criticized so much for her singing. One tweet that was liked more than 28,000 times reads: “It pisses me off even more when I know that Michelle Yeoh literally told Jon Chu that she wasn’t a singer and they still cast her.”
What do you think about this whole situation? Let me know in the comments below!
