The awards strategy for Wicked: For Good has been set. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will be campaigned in separate Oscar categories, mirroring their placements from last year’s Wicked.
Erivo, who portrays Elphaba Thropp (the “Wicked Witch of the West”), will compete for Best Actress, while Grande, who plays Glinda Upland (“Glinda the Good”), will vie for Best Supporting Actress.
For 2024’s Wicked, both actresses earned nominations across major award shows, including the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and the Academy Awards. Insiders reportedly determined that their screen time in Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated sequel set for nationwide release by Universal on November 21 does not justify a shift in categories.
This approach differs from the original Broadway production’s awards campaign two decades ago. At the time, the Tony Awards Administration Committee placed both Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda) in the Best Actress in a Musical category. Both were nominated, with Menzel ultimately taking home the award.
Historically, it’s rare for two performers from the same film to receive nominations in the Best Actress category. Only five films have achieved this feat: All About Eve (1950), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), The Turning Point (1977), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Thelma & Louise (1991).
An Oscar nomination for Erivo would mark the fourth of her career. She previously received nods for Best Actress and Best Original Song (“Stand Up”) for Harriet (2019). A nomination for Grande would be her second career nod.
Should Erivo win this time, she would officially achieve EGOT status an elite accomplishment in entertainment.
Source: THR
