'Wicked: For Good' Star Marissa Bode Wants to Throw a Drag Show

The unconventional function to celebrate the release of Wicked: For Good featured friends performing as everyone from Wicked staples like Boc and Nessarose to Little Shop of Horrors characters and more. It is just one of the many unconventional anecdotes that have made following the press cycle for this movie so utterly delightful, an inherent quality of the fictional world Oz that has overtaken all that it encompasses. (Read my interview with costume designer Paul Tazewell for more on how that world came together, visually.)

Besides drag shows with friends and binging reality TV as self-care after a long day of press, Bode has found herself evolving stylistically over the past year. Like her costars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the red carpet looks have been their own form of storytelling.

She says, of working with stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn: "For the second film I had wanted to go with darker looks for press. Even for the London premiere, I had that black number, and so that's been fun to play around with." It fits with her character, Elphaba's sister Nessarose, and her character arc this movie. "Obviously my character in the second film takes a bit of a darker turn. I was channeling a bit of my grungy emo era from when I was 14. That was nice to revisit in that way."

Had she not been an actress, Bode likewise jokes she would have "dyed my hair a million different colors by now for sure." She gets "bored" easily, like any true artist, and has even taken her off-duty style to new levels. "I am very femme in the way that I dress, but I have worn more ties recently, and have done a bit more button-ups just in my own time, because I think having and wearing so many dresses when I'm going to events, it's like I need that balance in my life."

Here though, at the tail end of the tidal wave of press and premieres and red carpets and junkets, Bode is finally coming back down to earth. "I've been trying to use an app blocker more on my phone," she tells me, both for social media and to feel more productive. "I have been scrapbooking a lot this past year, which has been really fun, holding in physical memories and being artistic in the way of stickers and making backgrounds, and it's just been nice to have a physical form of memory." It is but one of many ways she has come back to herself, after the "incredible opportunity" of Wicked spun into the largest box office opening for a Broadway adaptation in Hollywood history this past weekend.

Bode tells PAPER the past year was "Probably one of the best opportunities in my life really. It's been overwhelming in a lot of ways and a lot of pressure, but I know myself, and I know I love acting at the end of the day, and I will always push myself to be my best."

Still, with the film now out and the Oz-ian chapter closing, Bode reflects on the journey with Nessarose, and what she hopes audiences take from the experience. "Maybe what you thought was good wasn't as good as it could be, and maybe you are in the wrong bubble and you also need that bubble to pop. I believe in people changing for the better, truly, and I think the film definitely showcases that."

How are you doing after all those premieres, and the huge success of the movie? How have you been feeling?

I've been feeling good. I know we went from location to location, but now it's basically the end of that. I had a fun day the other day with my friends. They threw me an opening day party, which was really fun. My friend surprised me actually. She knows I love reality TV, so she had a few different people dress up as people from reality TV, and then we did a drag show based on that, which was really fun.

Who did everyone dress up as?

I guess now that I say it, there wasn't as much reality TV drag. My partner's going to dress up as Supernanny. I love Supernanny. Oh my gosh, who else did what? We also intertwined musical theater in it, because I love Little Shop, and two of my friends dressed up as Audrey and Seymour, and did drag of that. Someone was Bach and the other was Nessa and they did drag. That was fun. And then because I was super obsessed with Justin Bieber when I was, no, not 15, probably like 11, 12? Someone dressed up as Justin Bieber and did drag of that also.

What good friends you have to basically throw a drag show for your premiere party.

A hundred percent. We're like, We should definitely do this more often and I dunno, have a $5 entry and then put the donations to someone's top surgery or something.

Have you always loved drag? Is that something that's been a part of your own interests outside of the world of Wicked?

I honestly feel like I'm more new to drag than anything. I wasn't familiar with drag at all growing up in Wisconsin, and only got more familiar with it after I came out in 2021. My first drag show, I want to say, was at Rocco's in West Hollywood.

Yes, I'm very familiar.

I don't think that was until 2022, so I've definitely been more new to drag overall, but I love it. The girls really have to be good at everything, like lip syncing, performing dancing, humor, comedy, all of the above, and I just honor it so much as art in general.

On the topic, I really loved the premiere look with the Louboutins that looked like the classic slippers, and that Anne Barge dress was gorgeous. I'm curious, what has it been like working with your stylist, Alexandra Mandelkorn, over the last year for this movie?

I've always really loved fashion and experimenting with fashion in a number of different ways. Looking back now on certain outfits, I would never do them again, but that's just part of finding own personal style. With that being said, this past year... I am not used to wearing such fancy dresses by any means, so it has been cool finding what fits, what maybe looks different standing up than it does sitting down, and navigating that and how to tailor a dress and hold a dress or temporarily hold it while I'm moving and things like that, making it accessible.

When I have more of a grand dress, like the Anne Barge one, and it's a lot bigger... it's navigating, Okay, will there be somebody there with me that can help hold it while I move, or crossing it over the bottom of the skirt and crisscrossing it while I move, so that it's not touching against the wheels? It's been a really cool discovery, and fun exploration I should say, in terms of navigating what fits on me. Ally has a very clear vision and she's also very down to just try a number of things.

I've talked to numerous people around Wicked now, and listening to the way that everyone has interpreted the brief in their own personal style has been interesting. With the Anne Barge dress and the slippers, I could tell the subtle nod with the green and the silver slippers. Did you kind of take that on with your styling over the last year, like: How do I play with this world on the red carpet?

There's definitely a few different nods that we did. Not always fully intentional, but we're like, Oh, this dress works, and it also correlates and coincides with your character. I think specifically for the second film, and we did a little bit of it in the first film, but for the second film I had wanted to go with darker looks for press. Even for the London premiere, I had that black number, and so that's been fun to play around with. Obviously my character in the second film takes a bit of a darker turn. I was channeling a bit of my grungy emo era from when I was 14. That was nice to revisit in that way.

You were saying you weren't necessarily so used to wearing such fancy dresses all the time. What have you learned about your own personal style over the last year? Has it evolved at all in just everyday life?

I think my style really is always evolving, honestly. I get bored with myself frequently, and so often I like change and mix things up. If I weren't acting, I would definitely have dyed my hair a million different colors by now for sure. I am very femme in the way that I dress, but I have worn more ties recently, and have done a bit more button-ups just in my own time, because I think having and wearing so many dresses when I'm going to events, it's like I need that balance in my life. So I've been playing around more recently with button-ups and wearing a little less feminine things, just because I like that balance. I like being feminine and frilly sometimes and then less other times. I think it's fun. Although to be fair, again, I do still dress pretty femme.

We're talking about evolution. You hinted at this earlier, but Nessarose has a transformation in this movie, playing on the theme of Wicked. What was that like for you to explore a character who goes through such a dramatic transformation over the course of these two films?

I've always seen Nessa as extremely complex. There's so many layers to her. Of course, she is oftentimes selfish, but a lot of it I think is the circumstances that she was given when growing up, that she never necessarily wanted. But then in turn in her adulthood, she didn't recognize her privileges in a lot of different ways, and the treatment that she was given in a lot of different ways. First and foremost, as any actor, having empathy for your character is incredibly important, so that you can really dig deep and find the humanity even if they aren't the best person or don't become the best person. I did my best to humanize her in a lot of ways. I did my best to try to capture her vulnerability. Nessa is incredibly complex, and giving a lot of empathy to her and truly understanding her and even journaling as Nessa helped me to fill in a lot of the blanks.

I'm just thinking about how you made your feature film debut in the first film, and it has gone on with the second one to be the biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation in Hollywood history, which is huge accomplishment. What did that feel like for this to be your debut, and for it to have been such a success? How do you hold all of that together in your mind?

It is hard to hold it in my mind, first and foremost, because it is definitely overwhelming in that way. There's definitely also a ton of pressure, so of course I did my best to really put my heart into it and take it very seriously, because this was my first ever big thing, and to be alongside people that are so incredibly talented... it just truly is an incredible opportunity. Probably one of the best opportunities in my life really. It's been overwhelming in a lot of ways and a lot of pressure, but I know myself, and I know I love acting at the end of the day, and I will always push myself to be my best. I am my biggest critic. I think a lot of artists are similar in that way, of always wanting to be better, do better, all of the above.

Being in the biggest movie of the year, there must be a lot of noise. What do you do to block that out and come back to yourself, come back to your friends? What are your self-care rituals, to use a sort of shorthand?

I've been trying to use an app blocker more on my phone.

Oh god, I need one.

Not only do I need to turn it on more, but also make it harder to disable, because they have different levels in the one that I use. I need to turn it to its highest. I do often find myself disabling it, which defeats the purpose, but I have been trying to use app blockers more often, specifically for social media, and also so I can just feel and be more productive. I have been scrapbooking a lot this past year, which has been really fun, holding in physical memories and being artistic in the way of stickers and making backgrounds, and it's just been nice to have a physical form of memory. Lastly, which kind of negates the part about social media and trying to get off of that, is rotting my brain by watching, again, really bad reality TV. With how wild my world has been this past year, sometimes it's just nice to numb my brain while watching garbage.

What's your number one go-to garbage? What is the thing that makes your brain the smoothest?

It changes frequently. Again, I get bored of things very quickly, and so it changes every two to three weeks, but currently it's back to being Wife Swap. It's too good. Of course, I watch the OG early 2000s episodes, and I often do get pissed off, but I sometimes love making myself mad and rage-baiting myself. It has a certain je ne sais quoi. I love Wife Swap.

This also negates the purpose of being off social media, but I'm sure you know that the press for this film has spawned so many viral moments and memes and whatnot. Do you have a favorite that has pierced through for you, or do you not look at any of the social media stuff around the movie?

Let me think. Oh my goodness. Currently, I love — she's so cutie — I love Michelle's "WW, upside down, Madam Morrible and Wicked Witch." I think it's so cute. I think she's so cutie.

I don't think I can scroll without seeing Cynthia tapping her head. It has become a constant tic of mine now, where I do it. It's really satisfying.

I was going to say, it's kind of soothing.

It really centers me, which is crazy, but when I do it, I'm like, wait, there's something to this. I get it now.

It kind of hits.

Going back to this experience of Wicked: For Good, is there anything that you hope people take away from this second film?

I don't think anybody within the land of Oz is inherently evil. Again, I think it's circumstantial, and I think it's important to reflect on that also, and realize that nobody's necessarily inherently evil. Like Glinda, especially in this movie, maybe what you thought was good wasn't as good as it could be, and maybe you are in the wrong bubble and you also need that bubble to pop. I believe in people changing for the better, truly, and I think the film definitely showcases that. That's definitely something that I take with me. The line specifically that really stands out to me is: "Good can't just be a word. It actually has to mean something."

Image courtesy of Marissa Bode