The cast of ‘Wicked’ may be gearing up for an epic ‘method dressing’ press tour

The stars of the new “Wicked” movie appear to be gearing up for an epic “method dressing” press tour, having opted for color-coded looks on the Oscars red carpet Sunday night in Los Angeles.

Cynthia Erivo wore a bewitching emerald-green custom leather Louis Vuitton gown with structured ruffle sleeves and train, as a nod to her, well, “wicked” character Elphaba. Ariana Grande, her co-star in the forthcoming adaptation of the Broadway hit, meanwhile wore a voluminous bubblegum-pink gown by Giambattista Valli — perfect for the “good” witch Glinda.

Speaking to red carpet mainstay Laverne Cox during E!’s pre-Oscars show, Erivo said the dress was all about the leather’s “witchy texture.” Later in the evening, the pair’s co-star Michelle Yeoh (who plays Madame Morrible, the headmistress at the school where Elphaba and Galinda meet) called Grande “a total princess, my princess.”

“Wicked” is a re-telling of “The Wizard of Oz” based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” It follows the lives of two friends before and after the unexpected arrival of Dorothy Gale.

The much-loved Tony-award-winning Broadway musical adaptation, on which the Jon M. Chu-directed movie is based, is told from the perspectives of Elphaba Thropp, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda Upland, who becomes Glinda the Good. Over the course of the story, the two clash over their opposing personalities, love interests and political views, but ultimately become friends.

“Method dressing,” where actors incorporate elements of their movies or TV shows into their outfits, has become an increasingly crucial part of awards shows, press tours and even fashion shows. The cast of “Dune: Part Two” has gone all out in recent weeks, with Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh all channeling the movie through futuristic, sci-fi inspired outfits. The cast of “Barbie,” meanwhile, turned red carpets pink last year, with Margot Robbie leaving fans wondering which historically accurate Barbie outfit she would turn up from one premiere to the next.

Erivo and Grande appear to be carrying the torch. Earlier this year, the duo wore custom football jerseys to the Super Bowl. Both jerseys featured the number 27, a nod to November 27, which is the US release date of the two-part movie’s first chapter.

“There’s always that incredible pressure because it’s so beloved,” Grande told Oscars pre-show co-host Vanessa Hudgens on the red carpet. “I’m a die-hard purist fan. There’s so much to balance; satiating the fans while also bringing a new truth to these characters that we’ve loved for 20 years and finding new things within them and making it our own in certain ways.”

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Elphaba and Glinda respectively on Broadway as part of the musical’s original cast, expressed their support for Erivo and Grande when their roles were first announced in 2021.

“Congrats to two amazing women,” Menzel wrote on Instagram at the time. “May it change your lives for the better forever and ever as it has for us. So much love.”

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