Lea Michele
Lea Michele has never confirmed that she did audition for the role, but in 2019 she did say she wanted the role of Elphaba.
“That would be incredible. I don’t think that they’ve gotten to the point of talking to people about it yet, if they have they haven’t called me. But, yes I’m like backstage painting myself green just waiting,” Lea said on Watch What Happens Live in 2019.
At a 2025 concert, Lea was accepting fan requests and denied a request to perform “Defying Gravity.”
“I am not singing ‘Defying Gravity’ after Cynthia Erivo tore that s–t up, spit it out, laid it on the ground, mixed it up… I do love, love, love [that song],” she said.
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi
The Color Purple actress Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, who played young Celie in the film musical, auditioned.
“I heard this score … and just felt so seen,” Mpasi said in a YouTube video in May 2024. “I understood how Elphaba felt feeling different, and like it wasn’t her fault. It was just the color of her skin, and I just felt that way so much growing up.”
Photos: Getty, Universal Pictures Posted to: Ariana Grande, Cristin Milioti, Cynthia Erivo, EG, Extended, Jordin Sparks, Lea Michele, Movies, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Slideshow, Wicked