‘Wicked’ Fans Think They’ve Spotted OG Glinda Kristin Chenoweth in New Movie Promo

The star-studded cast of Wicked may just have one more famous face in its lineup.

In a new featurette for the film about Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) friendship released on Wednesday, August 21, eagle-eyed fans believe they have spotted Kristin Chenoweth in the background of one of the behind-the-scenes clips.

“It appears as though Kristin Chenoweth is visible in the latest featurette for ‘Wicked’ ????,” a fan captioned a screenshot from the teaser via X, in which a woman who strongly resembles Chenoweth, 56, can be seen among a group of Emerald City citizens in what could be the musical number “One Short Day.”

Fans also theorized who Chenoweth could potentially play in the film, with many suggesting Glinda’s mother. “If she's Galendas [sic] mum then Idina [Menzel] must be Elphabas [sic] mum,” one fan wrote via X. Chenoweth and Menzel, 53, famously originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in the original Broadway cast of Wicked in 2003.

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Chenoweth even famously campaigned for Grande, 31, to be cast as Glinda in the movie musical. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this proud. From the very first day I met you, you were destined for this role,” the Tony winner tweeted in reaction to Grande’s casting in November 2021. “Congratulations @ArianaGrande! The best Glinda you will be with Cynthia by your side ???? I love you!!”

Based on the book of the same name by Gregory Maguire, Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch, starting from their days as unlikely roommates at Shiz University through the events of The Wizard of Oz.

The adaptation’s cast also includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Bowen Yang as Pfannee.

In the featurette, director Jon M. Chu states that just like the stage show, the movie’s story “is about friendship” at its core. “And it starts with a really fun look at how these two young women, who are so different from each other, are forced to be roommates and don’t get along at all,” he added.

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Grande goes on to add that her “favorite thing about Wicked is that we can all identify pieces of ourselves within both Elphaba and Glinda.” Erivo, 37, mirrored her costar’s words, noting, “I think that we are all deserving of friendship and kindness and love, no matter who we are, and this film celebrates that.”

Earlier this year, Chenoweth exclusively told Us Weekly that friendship wasn’t initially the focus of Wicked’s story. “The love story is really between the two girls. It’s about their bond,” she shared in May. “It didn’t start out that way, the show. So, Idina and I feel really blessed that we were a part of something that we’re able to really put a stamp down in this world of musical theater.”

Chenoweth went on to note that the show “had problems in the beginning,” but she knew Wicked was going to be a hit after seeing crowds’ reactions during the show’s pre-Broadway run in San Francisco. “We did make improvements, the show got better and better, which is what you do in an out-of-town tryout,” she stated. “But I knew it wasn’t going to matter because it just spoke to people.”

The first of the two Wicked films hits theaters on November 22, with the second set to premiere on November 26, 2025.