Why Jonathan Bailey Almost Didn't Play Fiyero In Wicked

When "Wicked" dropped last winter, conversations about the movie's performances understandably focused on Cynthia Erivo's show-stopping screen presence as Elphaba and Ariana Grande's fine-tuned take on Glinda. The two deserved to be the center of attention, but now that "Wicked" fever has cooled ever so slightly (and Grande and Erivo have both been nominated for Oscars), it's only fair to obsess a bit over some of the movie's many other great casting decisions. Among the best? Olivier Award-winning actor Jonathan Bailey as the popular, initially shallow object of both witches' affections, Fiyero.

The Fiyero role has long-since been a key one in productions of "Wicked," with everyone from Taye Diggs to Aaron Tveit to Adam Lambert taking a crack at the part at one time or another (Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz originated the role in 2003). Bailey, who has tons of stage experience and several star-making TV roles under his belt, brings plenty of flair and charisma to the role. But according to casting director Bernard Telsey, who spoke to Variety about putting together the ensemble for John M. Chu's epic, a scheduling problem almost led to a different Fiyero actor entirely.

Telsey told Variety that he initially met Bailey when he was starring in a queer, gender-swapped run of "Company" on London's West End, a role the actor took on in 2018. The casting expert was apparently impressed with Bailey's take on the Stephen Sondheim classic, but he wasn't available to join "Wicked" when the casting process began. With their first choice booked and busy, the casting team ended up holding auditions for months, but they could never find a Fiyero as perfect for the part as Bailey. According to CapitalFM, several actors have gone on the record admitting they were passed over for the part, including Nick and Joe Jonas, musician and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" actor Spencer Sutherland, and actor and singer Ryan McCartan, who once played Fiyero on Broadway.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and shows that Bailey had been committed to had their schedules pushed back. In the mad dash to get productions rescheduled as the pandemic eased up, Bailey's other projects got moved to dates that weren't overlapping with the "Wicked" shoot. Though Telsey doesn't mention which shows in particular Bailey had to work around, he's had several fantastic leading parts in recent years, playing romantic hero Anthony Bridgerton in the second season of Netflix's uber-popular bodice-ripper "Bridgerton," and earning rave reviews opposite Matt Bomer in the sexy, heartbreaking historical drama "Fellow Travellers." He also headlined a West End revival of Mike Bartlett's play "C**k," and is due to play the title character  in a London production of Shakespeare's "Richard II."

Bailey wasn't officially announced as Fiyero until 2022, and Telsey says he "might have been one of the last principals [cast]." Still, the casting director saw the whole thing as serendipitous. "It all worked out," he concluded. Bailey is, he says, "so charming, [so] talented, and he's so Fiyero."

"Wicked" is now available to rent or own digitally and on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. Bailey will return as Fiyero in "Wicked: For Good," due out in theaters on November 21, 2025.