9 Fascinating Facts About theWickedCostumes, Hair and Makeup — You Won't Believe No. 7! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked.Photo:Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

During the making of the blockbusterWickedno detail was overlooked, including when it came to the costumes, hair and makeup.

PEOPLE spoke with Tazewell and Hannon about working on the film — and found out some of the most surprising facts aboutWicked’s costumes, hair and makeup in the process.

Check them all out below, then go behind the scenes of the movie with PEOPLE’s new special issue, availablehere.

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01of 09Glinda and Elphaba Each Had 60 Costumes MadeElphaba costume.Lara Cornell/Universal PicturesIn total, the costume team created over 1,000 costumes for the movie. Glinda has 25 total looks spread over the two films, but many have multiplies. Elphaba, on the other hand, has 24 looks over two films, with multiples.

01of 09

Glinda and Elphaba Each Had 60 Costumes Made

Elphaba costume.Lara Cornell/Universal Pictures

Lara Cornell/Universal Pictures

In total, the costume team created over 1,000 costumes for the movie. Glinda has 25 total looks spread over the two films, but many have multiplies. Elphaba, on the other hand, has 24 looks over two films, with multiples.

02of 09

Wicked shoes.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

03of 09Glinda’s Bubble Dress Took More Than 200 Hours to MakeGlinda’s bubble dress sketch.Courtesy of Paul TazewellA lot — and we meana lot— of work went into Glinda’s pink bubble dress. When you first meet Glinda the Good Witch in the movie, she arrives in her bubble wearing the showstopping gown. The dress required 137 pattern pieces, and the bodice alone required 225 hours of hand-beading to affix its upwards of 20,000 beads.

03of 09

Glinda’s Bubble Dress Took More Than 200 Hours to Make

Glinda’s bubble dress sketch.Courtesy of Paul Tazewell

Courtesy of Paul Tazewell

A lot — and we meana lot— of work went into Glinda’s pink bubble dress. When you first meet Glinda the Good Witch in the movie, she arrives in her bubble wearing the showstopping gown. The dress required 137 pattern pieces, and the bodice alone required 225 hours of hand-beading to affix its upwards of 20,000 beads.

04of 09

Ariana Grande in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

If you noticed that the bubble dress in the movie looks quite different from the Broadway version (which is an icy blue), there’s a reason: Tazewell deviated fromWickedfor the bubble dress and instead turned toThe Wizard of Ozfor the design’s inspiration.

“When I think of the iconic Glinda, it is Billie Burke as Glinda [inThe Wizard of Oz] in that pink dress and how she arrives in the bubble,” Tazewell tells PEOPLE. “I was intent on creating a similar quality of silhouette. There’s a fairy princess quality in Ariana as Glinda in that dress. It’s sparkly and it is covered with bubble imagery that swirls around her. It has all of those qualities that are magical and give you that sense of the Good Witch of the North in a very strong way, but it’s re-envisioned.”

05of 09

Cynthia Erivo’s Makeup Took Up to 4 Hours Each Day — and Her Green Was Custom

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

06of 09Fiyero’s Tousled Hair — and the Color — Was Totally IntentionalJonathan Bailey and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal PicturesFiyero’s heartthrob hair was not an accident, Hannon says: That little tendril of hair falling in his face the moment he lays eyes on Elphaba was “very much” intentional to give him a bit of an air of Prince Charming.“One of the things I absolutely loved about — looking at Paul’s designs in his costumes — was Jonathan [Bailey] had really a huge amount of brassy buttons,” Hannon says. “And I thought it would be lovely to bring all that gold up into his hair. So we gave him extra length on top, extra thickness. We used a large toupee, and it really was very princely. You’ll see as his story goes, though, that his hair will change as well.”

06of 09

Fiyero’s Tousled Hair — and the Color — Was Totally Intentional

Jonathan Bailey and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Fiyero’s heartthrob hair was not an accident, Hannon says: That little tendril of hair falling in his face the moment he lays eyes on Elphaba was “very much” intentional to give him a bit of an air of Prince Charming.

“One of the things I absolutely loved about — looking at Paul’s designs in his costumes — was Jonathan [Bailey] had really a huge amount of brassy buttons,” Hannon says. “And I thought it would be lovely to bring all that gold up into his hair. So we gave him extra length on top, extra thickness. We used a large toupee, and it really was very princely. You’ll see as his story goes, though, that his hair will change as well.”

07of 09

Michelle Yeoh in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

“I was thinking those wisps of the cloud you get when they’re thin across the sky,” she says. “Paul, for the costumes, was using exceptionally high collars on her. So we kept her [hair] very high up. The wisps were always going off to the right or the left, depending on the style. She’s not particularly tall, but she does look tall with her costume and with her wigs on.”

08of 09Ariana Grande Used r.e.m. beauty Products for Glinda’s GlamAriana Grande in Wicked.Universal PicturesGrande teased during filming thatGlinda would use her own brand’smakeup products in the movie, but it wasHannon who confirmed to PEOPLEthat it actually did happen.“She used to put a little highlight — herr.e.m. beauty interstellar highlighter topper in miss mercury— on the end of her nose as her sort of final touch before she left the makeup trailer,” Hannon says of how the actress incorporated her own beauty brand into her daily routine on set. “It was a very cute touch that Ari had for her Glinda.”

08of 09

Ariana Grande Used r.e.m. beauty Products for Glinda’s Glam

Ariana Grande in Wicked.Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures

Grande teased during filming thatGlinda would use her own brand’smakeup products in the movie, but it wasHannon who confirmed to PEOPLEthat it actually did happen.

“She used to put a little highlight — herr.e.m. beauty interstellar highlighter topper in miss mercury— on the end of her nose as her sort of final touch before she left the makeup trailer,” Hannon says of how the actress incorporated her own beauty brand into her daily routine on set. “It was a very cute touch that Ari had for her Glinda.”

09of 09It Took at Least 5 Tries to Get the Witch Hat Just RightElphaba’s witch hat.Courtesy of Paul Tazewell; Lara Cornell/Universal PicturesTazewell reveals that the process for getting the witch hat that Glinda gives to Elphaba right was very involved because he knew it would be an iconic costume piece. It went through about five iterations, he says, before it was picture perfect.“There was one that was much more like origami and it folded up,” he says. “And then there was another that was a slightly different kind of cone and untextured.“Tazewell also says that he went with a broad-brim hat because of the power in it, knowing that Erivo could carry it after having worked with her onHarriet.“It is the symbol of her taking hold of her own power and really being in her body and mind and accepting who she is even though the gift is a joke,” he says.

09of 09

It Took at Least 5 Tries to Get the Witch Hat Just Right

Elphaba’s witch hat.Courtesy of Paul Tazewell; Lara Cornell/Universal Pictures

Courtesy of Paul Tazewell; Lara Cornell/Universal Pictures

Tazewell reveals that the process for getting the witch hat that Glinda gives to Elphaba right was very involved because he knew it would be an iconic costume piece. It went through about five iterations, he says, before it was picture perfect.

“There was one that was much more like origami and it folded up,” he says. “And then there was another that was a slightly different kind of cone and untextured.”

Tazewell also says that he went with a broad-brim hat because of the power in it, knowing that Erivo could carry it after having worked with her onHarriet.

“It is the symbol of her taking hold of her own power and really being in her body and mind and accepting who she is even though the gift is a joke,” he says.

source: people.com