Director Jon M. Chu explains why it was so important that Cynthia Erivo’s green Elphaba makeup didn’t transfer when actors touched it (and it wasn’t just to keep costumes clean).

The subtle symbolism behind Wicked: For Good’s most intimate moment

Director Jon M. Chu explains why it was so important that Cynthia Erivo's green Elphaba makeup didn't transfer when actors touched it (and it wasn't just to keep costumes clean).

By Patrick Gomez

Patrick Gomez is an Executive Editor at . Formerly at People magazine and The A.V. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' Follow the Texas Native at @PatrickGomezLA wherever your media is social for all things 'For All Mankind' 'Top Chef,' and puppy related.

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December 24, 2025 11:00 a.m. ET

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Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) in 'Wicked: For Good'. Credit:

As Elphaba points out in *Wicked*, "No, I am not seasick. No, I did not eat grass as a child. And yes, I've always been green."

While that is true in the world director Jon M. Chu created for his two-part saga, he also wanted it to be true for Cynthia Erivo as she portrayed the viridescent sorceress on the set of their blockbuster musicals.

"It was actually a big thing for me, to make sure that the green paint was never going to rub off," Chu tells **.

The filmmaker worked with hair and makeup department head Frances Hannon to ensure that Erivo's costars could feel free to touch her and "wouldn't inherently be like, 'Am I getting this dirty?'"

"That had to be off the table," Chu continues. "We had to be able to go, 'Touch her, touch her! Look, it's not going anywhere. Okay, got it, everybody comfortable?'"

The reason for this went deeper than keeping hands and costumes clean.

"We had to make sure that everyone watching at home felt comfortable with green, that's what we're saying in this," says Chu.

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That was particularly important for Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) at the start of the "As Long As Your Mine" sequence in *Wicked: For Good*.

"When he takes off her cape and touches her skin, [it was clear] that he's not afraid to touch green skin," Chu explains.

The director says the moment went full circle at the end of the film, when Fiyero shows up in Scarecrow form. The team worked hard to find the right level of burlap prosthetics to portray the transformation and yet somehow let more of Bailey shine through — forgoing the blue contacts Bailey wore for most of the film and allowing his natural brown eyes to shine through.

Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey shared a behind-the-scenes shot from 'Wicked: For Good'.

Cynthia Erivo/Instagram

"It really helped connect it suddenly — 'Oh, there's Johnny, not just Fieyro,'" says Chu. "It's a different person in there, but it's a person that we know."

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"And I just love that Cynthia reaches out and touches his face in the way that they do it in the forest in movie one," Chu concludes, who is grateful the team relied on practical makeup effects on both actors. "You can watch every moment of that scene and it is really happening to them."

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