Lin-Manuel Miranda discusses why he was not cast in Wicked. From writing and starring in Hamilton, writing songs for Moana and Encanto, and having his musical In the Heights made into a film adaptation, Miranda has been at the forefront of musical theater and musical movies for a while now. The In the Heights movie was directed by Jon M. Chu, who also directed Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good. Despite Miranda’s connection to Chu and to musicals, he was not a member of Wicked‘s cast.

While on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Miranda revealed that he wanted to play the Munchkin who asks Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), “Is it true you were her friend?” He discussed how this line kicks off the musical’s story and is often delivered with a great deal of emotion during Wicked‘s live productions. Even though he expressed his interest to Chu, Miranda was ultimately not cast because it would have been too distracting. He goes on to compliment Kirsty Anne Shaw, who was instead cast in the role. Check out Miranda’s comments below:

My favorite line in the show is in the opening number of the show, when this one Munchkin runs out and goes, “Is it true you were her friend?” If you’ve seen a live production of Wicked, sometimes they really put some sauce on the ball when they deliver that line. It’s where the story starts. I really wanted to do that line.I was not cast. It would’ve been too distracting. The young woman who does it in the movie is great. She does it very earnestly,

What This Means For Wicked

Lin-Manuel Miranda Could Have Been Among The First Actors To Appear In Wicked

If Miranda had been cast in the Wicked movie as the aforementioned Munchkin, he would have been one of the first characters to be seen. His appearance would have come before Cynthia Erivo’s first scene as Elphaba and before Jonathan Bailey’s first scene as Fiyero. He also would have graced the screen long before Wicked‘s Broadway musical cameos featuring Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Stephen Schwartz, who do not appear until Elphaba and Glinda are in the Emerald City during the song “One Short Day.”

Given how recognizable he is to musical theater enthusiasts and even to general audiences, a Miranda cameo may have been distracting at any point in the movie. However, it would have been particularly distracting to have the cameo at the beginning of the movie and before many of the characters and even the story itself are established. As Miranda noted, Shaw delivers the line well, and helps set the tone of the movie musical adaptation during an important Wicked song.

Our Take On Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Comments

Wicked Didn’t Need A Cameo From Him

Beyond being distracting, a Miranda cameo would not have made sense because he is not directly connected to the original Broadway musical. With Menzel and Chenoweth playing the original Elphaba and Glinda, and Schwartz writing the music and lyrics, they are part of the musical’s legacy, and their cameos are a fun acknowledgment of their invaluable contributions. Miranda has done a great deal for musical theater and musical movies, but he is not part of Wicked‘s legacy, and it would have been jarring to have him play a Munchkin at the beginning of the story.

Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert