Exclusive look inside Wicked’s wheelchair dance scene

In a film packed with powerful singing and sheer wizardry, it’s hard to stand out. But there is a nice dance scene in it Evil (in theaters now!) that soars.

The wheelchair dance, which debuts early in the nearly three-hour epic, is a wonderful reminder that disabled actors can absolutely cut a rug and more — thanks to clever choreography and enthusiasm from actors Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater.

Playing Nessarose and Boq respectively, the two actors spin and zoom around the Ozdust Ballroom at an after-school rager for Shiz University students, Nessa in a wheelchair and Boq tagging along. Although the red-haired Munchkin is in love with Glinda (Ariana Grande), it’s clear that she only has eyes for Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey) – the balcony of her prom queen. Glinda convinces Boq to ask Nessa to the party instead, and we’re thankful she does because it gives us this charming performance.

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In an interview with NBC Insiderrevealed to Slater and Bode that it was their favorite scene to do in the film, a “really special experience”, not only on a personal level, but for representation in art.

“We had such a great time between the little song and the dance. I felt like it was a huge moment for our characters,” revealed Slater.

“We need to put disability on the screen just so people know we exist and we’re out here. And two, that we can do so many different things. Education is really important, but I think it’s also a message to the casting as a whole, that we are skilled,” explained Bode.

How Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater prepared Evil‘s wheelchair dance scene

This is not the first rodeo for Bode, who began using a wheelchair at 11 years old. She caught the acting bug early, at the age of 8, and grew up on stage performing in plays and musicals such as Mary Poppins and Little Shop of Horrors.

Slater is best known for his Tony-nominated portrayal of SpongeBob SquarePants in the eponymous Broadway musical. But none of them had tackled a dance number like this before. The actors revealed that it took about six weeks of rehearsals to get the movements just right. In between filming for other scenes, they spent about an hour rehearsing during each set of rehearsals. In the days leading up to filming, they turned their full-time attention to dancing.

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“It was something we really worked towards and we kind of got to know our Boq and our Nessa and each other through working on that scene,” said Slater, who acknowledged it was a privilege to have so much time to to practice. immersion in this world is something that felt completely unique,” he said, crediting director Jon Chu for bringing “incredible heart” to the world-building.

Marissa Bode was the first disabled actress to play Nessa

Bode drew on his real-life experiences to portray Nessa and found their lives paralleled each other in surprising ways.

“I certainly know what it’s like to have people be overprotective, ie. the father in the film (Frexspar Thropp, played by Andy Nyman), but for good reasons. Maybe you don’t feel like you can completely let go, or that people in general don’t… trust 100 percent that you can do (things) as a disabled person. So I definitely felt that, and I carried that with me when I portrayed Nessa,” she explained. “I see a lot of myself in Nessa specifically, someone who is so ready to just branch out and finally be on her own and show her independence.”

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Bode also emphasized the importance of casting with care and creating an environment on set that encouraged “moving around the room like an authentic wheelchair user, having that background and figuring all that out.”

The wheelchair dance is a highlight of the friendship between Boq and Nessa, which is filled with false hope for love. But the scene has a different purpose: how powerful and happy a wheelchair-bound character can be while just having fun on screen. So what are Bode’s hopes and dreams for film in the future? More epic dance scenes? Not exactly.

“I would love more roles in general to just show disabled people that exist, just kick it because it’s just our reality a lot of the time.”

Wicked is in theaters now. Get tickets here!