This article contains spoilers for “Wicked” and has been edited for length and clarity. Read at your own risk.

In a cross talk, two writers sit down to discuss a book, movie, TV show, or piece of art they both feel strongly about. Sometimes they disagree; other times, they’re in perfect harmony. Here, Maggie Smith ’27 and Alexandra Simon ’27—two close friends—discussed director Jon M. Chu’s recent box-office hit, “Wicked,” a film adaptation of the first act of the 2003 Broadway musical of the same name. In addition to praising the overall production, Maggie and Alexandra shared their immense love for the story and its message of female friendship.

Maggie Smith: Let’s start with our “Wicked” background and knowledge about the lore.

Alexandra Simon: Okay, so I’ve been a “Wicked” fan since I was eight. I went to see the show with my mom and my friend when we were younger, and I immediately fell in love, and I’ve been obsessed with the show ever since. I love Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, and I think they’re amazing role models and actresses. I was really excited when the “Wicked” movie previews came out last year, and I couldn’t wait to see it. 

MS: I also saw “Wicked” [the musical] when I was younger. It was on tour and I absolutely loved it. For Halloween, [you and I] dressed up as Glinda and Elphaba, knowing that the movie was coming up. We went and saw it [together] at the end of last semester and now we are here to talk about it. 

Let’s go into our expectations going into “Wicked.”

On my part, I was a little nervous, to be honest, because I had heard so much hype, and I felt like it wasn’t going to live up to the musical. Also, I thought it couldn’t be as good as everyone says. I was definitely very afraid and doubtful.

AS: I was worried that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were going to somehow change the characters or portray them in a way that was different from what I was expecting. But I think they both did a really beautiful job. I enjoyed their personal takes on the characters and this movie was just so well done. It was nice that they got to take the full time to really draw attention to the first half of the musical and have those more detailed scenes. 

MS: Exactly. I thought it went beyond [all] expectations. I was amazed, honestly. As you mentioned, I was definitely worried that I would just see [Ariana Grande] as [herself] and not Glinda. But she really surprised me. The cast as a whole was amazing. I really enjoyed Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. 

AS: And Jonathan Bailey, he acted his ass off. He had a lot of fun in the role from what it looked like.

MS: They really did a good job casting for this movie. Let’s talk about our favorite parts.

AS: I loved “Popular.” The song was so fun and just two best friends enjoying themselves. It was so beautiful, glitzy, glamorous, and very Glinda-esque. 

MS: For me, “Defying Gravity” [was a highlight], but also “No One Mourns the Wicked.” That was a crazy beginning. 

AS: I started crying two minutes in, and I was sobbing. 

MS: I can vouch for this. [You] cried the entire time—tears of joy, mainly. 

AS: I also loved the set design, especially as someone who is interested in set and costume design. Further, seeing the beauty of this lost friendship was such a powerful experience.

MS: The whole movie, I kept saying to myself, “This is what a movie adaptation of a musical should be.” I felt like I was immersed in a different world the entire time. And this was a long movie, but it didn’t feel too long. It was a really big production, but they put so much effort into it and into each scene.

AS: I was so happy with the outcome and I could watch that movie time and time again.

MS: Now, there’s [a] part two coming up. Do you have any expectations or emotions for part two? 

AS: I’m going to go in with the same level of expectation, because I love how the movie exceeded my expectations last time. 

MS: I feel similarly. I’m excited, and it’s been some time since I’ve seen the play, so I have forgotten a lot. 

AS: Well, I actually just saw the play. That wasn’t planned with this cross talk, but I went into [New York City] this weekend to go see “Wicked” on Broadway for the third time. It was totally different seeing the musical after seeing the movie remake. It’s much faster paced because they have to fit the entire show into the same amount of time that the movie took. The set is only as elaborate as a [stage show] can be. There’s no CGI or digital editing, and these actors are putting themselves out [there] for two and a half hours. It’s still beautiful, but in a completely different way.

MS: Yeah, there’s a difference between acting for the theater and for the screen. In theater, you have to really express everything with your body and be super elaborate; with the screen, it’s more detailed since [the audience] can see more.

AS: In the musical, there’s a lot more emphasis on the relationships between Elphaba and Fiyero, and Glinda and Fiyero, the male-female [romantic] relationships. But what I really love about the movie is that it focuses mostly on the female-female friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. Fiyero almost becomes a side plot.

MS: I agree with that. It was definitely a movie about the power of friendship. 

One last silly question, who did Glinda and Elphaba better: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, or us at Halloween this year?

AS: I think it’s us at Halloween. My entire body was green, and you had on an elaborate and puffy dress. 

MS: They did great, but it’s hard to compare it to us.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

Maggie Smith can be reached at mssmith@wesleyan.edu.

Alexandra Simon can be reached at arsimon@wesleyan.edu.