Movies Michelle Yeoh says taking her Wicked movie role was a 'risk' The Oscar-winner plays Madame Morrible in the film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 15, 2023 11:04PM EDT Michelle Yeoh didn't become the first Asian woman to win a Best Actress Oscar by playing it safe. She's fought crouching tigers and hidden dragons, traversed the multiverse, and explored the final frontier. But singing in a musical? Yeoh calls that a risk. Myunggu Han/Getty In an interview at the Fifth Annual Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival in Fukuoka, Japan, Yeoh discussed taking on the role of Madame Morrible in the upcoming adaptation of the beloved musical Wicked. "I'm trying something new right now — filming Jon Chu's Wicked movie, which will be my first musical," Yeoh said. "It's very exciting, and I can't wait for you all to see it. It was a risk, but you will never know which doors will open for you unless you try them all." Yeoh previously worked with Chu on Crazy Rich Asians. And though Wicked is her first musical, Yeoh did show off some of her vocal chops in Everything Everywhere All at Once, playing, among many other roles, a Peking opera star. In the Wicked musical, Madame Morrible is the headmistress of Shiz University, the magical alma mater of Glinda (who'll be played by Ariana Grande in the film) and Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo). Yeoh be following in the evil steps of past Madames Morrible such as Rue McClanahan, Carol Kane, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Wicked, which will be divided into two films, will premiere its first part on Christmas Day 2024 and its second on Christmas Day 2025. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Everything we know about the Wicked movie(s) The 15 best Michelle Yeoh movie roles, ranked Academy stresses punishments for violations in new rule changes after 2023 Oscars controversies