Cynthia Erivo has admitted it was “completely mind-boggling” filming both Wicked movies at the same time.

The first Wicked film, which was released last year, followed Erivo and Ariana Grande’s characters Elphaba and Glinda as they befriended each other at university and met the Wizard of Oz.

The second part, which hits cinemas on Friday, centres upon “more advanced and newer versions” of the characters, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Reflecting on the shoot as part of BAFTA Playback’s video series, Erivo admitted that she was “so proud” of how they created such distinction between the two versions of their characters despite filming both parts at the same time.

“I realised just how much work we had put in to make sure that they, they felt like two different spaces, because we made them at the same time, not one after the other, at the same time, simultaneously,” she explained. “So one day we could be filming, film one, and the second day we’re filming For Good, which is sort of completely mind-boggling, because you have to really know where you are in the story when you get there, even if you haven’t necessarily done the things that come right before. I’m so pleased with it.”

The British actress revealed that she has seen Wicked: For Good three times, and that she “wept” after seeing it with her and Grande’s friends and family.

“I wept afterwards. I think it was the first time it all sort of hit me,” she shared. “That was a wonderful experience to be able to sit there and watch it with everybody and feel what other people were feeling.”

BAFTA Playback, sponsored by Samsung, is a six-part series where Hollywood icons talk about their career-defining moments and influences, with selected commentary and clips featured throughout. 

Erivo’s episode is now available to watch on BAFTA’s YouTube channel.

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