‘Wicked’ Star Marissa Bode Condemns ‘Aggressive’ and ‘Very Gross’ Comments About Nessarose’s Disability: It Is ‘Low-Hanging Fruit That Too Many of You Are Comfortable Taking’
“Wicked” star Marissa Bode has spoken out against the negative comments and jokes about her character Nessarose’s disability, calling them “aggressive,” “very gross” and “harmful.”
In a five-minute video posted on TikTok on Friday, Bode — who uses a wheelchair on screen and in real life — shared her thoughts on the insensitive comments circulating online about Nessarose, the sister of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
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“It is absolutely OK to not like a fictional character,” Bode said. “I am going to be admitting my bias in the way that I have a lot of different feelings on Nessa than a lot of you do, and that’s totally fine. I think Nessa is complex, but that’s the beauty of art. ‘Wicked’ and these characters and the movie wouldn’t be what it was if there weren’t different opinions on the characters and who’s truly wicked or not. And not liking Nessa herself is OK. Because she is fictional, that’s totally fine.”
Bode acknowledged that she is a “deeply unserious person,” who doesn’t mind “silly, goofy, harmless” jokes regarding Nessarose’s personality or actions — reiterating that it’s because the “Wicked” character is fictional. However, she does not condone “aggressive” comments and jokes about Nessarose’s disability, adding that they’re “deeply uncomfortable.”
“Disability is not fictional,” Bode continued. “At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. And so, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.”
Bode noted that she’s heard many ableist jokes not only about Nessarose, but about herself. “Before even being cast in ‘Wicked,’ I had received comments — just as me, as Marissa, not Nessa — around the words of ‘stand up for yourself,’ ‘I guess you can’t stand him,’ et cetera,” she said. “These comments aren’t original, and when these jokes are being made by non-disabled strangers with a punchline of not being able to walk, it very much feels like laughing at rather than laughing with.”
She added, “This goes so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet. These comments do not exist in a vacuum. Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before.”
Bode urged “Wicked” viewers to stop dismissing each other and “claiming an experience can’t be true because you personally don’t feel that way about a joke that wouldn’t have affected your demographic anyways.”
She continued, “Listen to the people or to the person that it is affecting and how it makes them feel. Thankfully, I’m at a place in my life today where I can recognize these jokes about disability are made out of ignorance. I couldn’t say the same about Marissa 10 years ago, and it would have affected younger me a lot more, and I’m worried that a younger version of myself is somewhere on the internet and is harmed by these comments.”
Bode concluded the video by saying, “Lastly, I want to say one of the major themes within ‘Wicked’ is having the ability to listen and to understand one another. And I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you.”
“Wicked” is currently playing in theaters.
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