The folks behind the awards campaigns for Wicked: For Good stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have decided to hold space for them in separate Oscar categories, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
As was the case for last year’s Wicked, Erivo, who plays Elphaba Thropp (now known as the “Wicked Witch of the West”), will be promoted for best actress, while Grande, who plays Glinda Upland (now known as “Glinda the Good”), will be pushed for best supporting actress.
For Wicked, both Erivo and Grande received Critics Choice, SAG, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations. And their screen time in Jon M. Chu’s highly-anticipated sequel, which Universal will release nationwide on Nov. 21, does not justify a change, it was determined.
This path differs from the one enforced upon the original Broadway production by the Tony Awards Administration Committee 20 years ago. Back then, Idina Menzel, who created Elphaba, and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated Glinda, both competed in the category of best actress in a musical; both received nominations; and Menzel ended up winning.
However, given that only five films have ever managed to land noms for multiple actresses alongside each other in the best actress Oscar category — All About Eve (1950), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), The Turning Point (1977), Terms of Endearment (1983) and Thelma & Louise (1991) — there is a clear argument for avoiding such a scenario if possible.
Several performers have received Oscar noms in multiple years for playing the same character, but only one in back-to-back years: Sylvester Stallone for playing Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) and Creed (2015); Paul Newman for playing ‘Fast Eddie’ Felson in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986), winning for the latter; Cate Blanchett for playing Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007); Al Pacino for playing Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974); Peter O’Toole for playing King Henry II in Becket (1974) and The Lion in Winter (1968); and Bing Crosby for playing Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), winning for the former.
An Oscar nom for Erivo would be the fourth of her career — prior to Wicked, she was nominated for best actress and best original song (“Stand Up”) for 2019’s Harriet — and an Oscar nom for Grande would be the second of her career. Should Erivo win, she would complete an EGOT.