Thursday, December 12, 2024
Is Nessarose a huge win for "Wicked"? It's complicated
Salon.com: When the “Wicked” film casting call went out in 2022 for Nessarose – the wheelchair-using younger sister to future Wicked Witch Elphaba – the enthusiastic response from disabled actresses was seen all over social media. In my Facebook feed alone I had several wheelchair-using friends who were excited to audition and, more importantly, were ecstatic that director Jon M. Chu was making a point to cast the character authentically. It was definitely far more than the long-running Broadway show had done, never actually casting a wheelchair-using actress over the last 20 years of its run.
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Finally seeing a Black, wheelchair-using actress in a major role is everything. It’s not just a step forward—it’s a leap. Bode’s casting feels like a big “yes, you belong here” moment, not just for disabled folks, but specifically for disabled women of color, who are barely seen in Hollywood. It gives me chills thinking about little girls out there watching someone who looks like them on the big screen. But let’s unpack Nessarose as a character. She’s got all this complexity: she’s not just “tragically beautiful,” but also fiercely independent, even in a world that tries to box her in. The production even considered accessibility in the set design, like adding ramps, which is a detail that feels so thoughtful. It’s like the drama world is finally catching up to what we’ve been saying forever: representation matters, but so does getting it right. This makes me think of how other art forms deal with inclusion. Like, in visual art, there’s been a push for artists with disabilities to not just show their work but to have their process acknowledged as part of the art itself. It’s the same in theater, where authentic casting can totally change how a story feels. It’s not just about seeing someone in a wheelchair on stage or screen—it’s about giving them depth, agency, and humanity.
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