Jeff Goldblum compares “Wicked” Wizard to “Thor: Ragnarok”'s Grandmaster: 'He's a self-glorifying nincompoop'
"Everything you do leaves its residue," Goldblum says of the parallels.
The Wizard of Oz is, and always has been, a humbug.
But in Wicked, he's elevated to an even more sinister place — not merely a charlatan, but a fraud who has seized power and wants to use the magic of others to create a totalitarian world that answers to his every whim. For Jeff Goldblum, who stars as the Wizard, it's actually not much of a stretch given his acting history.
Goldblum also starred as the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, another ruler whose venal pursuit of power is only matched by his own stupidity.
Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures; Marvel Studios
Jeff Goldblum in 'Wicked' and 'Thor: Ragnarok'
"Everything you do leaves its residue in your nervous system and in your heart somewhere," Goldblum says of the parallels between the two characters and whether he carried over any traits from the Grandmaster to the Wizard. "I wanted to make this distinct, but [the Grandmaster] had some kind of avatar of himself and is a self-glorifying nincompoop. And he's an abuser of power and has a position of authority."
In Thor: Ragnarok, the Grandmaster rules his planet, Sakaar, with a slippery sense of manipulation, largely drowning himself in hedonistic pursuits and overseeing gladiatorial contests between his slaves. The Wizard has perhaps more noble origins, but Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) learns that he is the one responsible for scapegoating and persecuting the Animals in Oz. He is also responsible, alongside Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), for villainizing Elphaba and framing her as the Wicked Witch.
In the interplay between the Wizard's bid for power and Elphaba's real magic, Goldblum hopes audiences will find a similar message to Thor: Ragnarok about what constitutes true power in this world.
Related: Jeff Goldblum takes us through his favorite movies he saw as a kid, from A to Z
Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Cynthia Erivo (L) and Ariana Grande in 'Wicked'"Real power is not just a position of authority, but as we see in this movie, something having to do with the connection to yourself and the ability to make beautiful things and impact others," he notes. "That's real power."
"It's a timeless story," he concludes. "Around the world there are many circumstances where not the most enlightened path is taken by leadership and others. Here we are again in this situation of the movie where I say, 'You got to give somebody a real good enemy.'"
Related: Wicked first reactions call film a 'musical masterpiece,' praise Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
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Wicked, originally starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, premiered on Broadway in 2003. Based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel of the same name and with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the Wizard of Oz prequel musical traces the two witches' paths from students at Shiz University to Elphaba becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. The show went on to earn 10 Tony Award nominations in 2004, including one for Best Musical.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked the movie stars Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, and Marissa Bode. The film adaptation is split into two parts, with the first half now in theaters.
