Marissa Bode’s acting career began with a lie.
A white lie, of course — her local community theater in small-town Wisconsin required kids to be at least 8 years old to audition. But a 7-year-old Bode didn’t want to wait any longer to follow in her older brother’s footsteps and get on stage, so she auditioned anyway. Cut to her first-ever role: a “little orphan girl that had only one or two lines,” Bode recalls, in a production of The Prince and The Pauper.
Bode’s childhood in Wisconsin not only introduced her to theater, but to the musical that would launch her career more than a decade later. Years before she was cast in Wicked herself, Bode learned that the touring production of the show was coming to Madison, the closest city to her hometown. Bode assumed the show would come and go without her being in attendance, but her mother surprised her with tickets. Immediately, Bode was in love.
Now 24 years old, Bode has become an integral part of Wicked’s legacy, forever a key player in one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals of all time. She plays Nessarose, the sister to protagonist (and so-called “wicked witch”) Elphaba, in the film adaptations of Wicked. The first part of the already iconic duology came out last fall, and this November, Wicked: For Good will bring Elphaba’s story to a close — including what becomes of her sister in the aftermath of Part I’s cliffhanger ending.
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For Bode, the entire experience of being cast in Wicked has been surreal. “It’s genuinely hard to find words, because it does still almost feel strange to me, someone who came from […] somewhere where things like this just don’t happen every day,” she reflects. “And then to be a part of just something so big, and that — hopefully, anyways — is something that impacts generations, like The Wizard of Oz did, is just still mind-blowing to me.”
Bode is just one of several queer folks who worked on Wicked, from her co-stars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, and Bronwyn James to behind-the-scenes icons like Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell. But despite the strong queer presence on set (and the musical’s rabid queer fan base), Wicked’s actual plot is totally straight — or is it? Plenty of viewers think Wicked’s central duo of Elphaba and Galinda are more than just friends (not least of all Galinda herself, Ariana Grande, who said during the first film’s infamously chaotic press tour that she thinks the two are “in love with each other” and that her character “might be a little in the closet”).
Bode, meanwhile, is firmly in the Gelphie camp.
“The straights are gonna get mad at me for saying this,” she warns. “But canonically, for me, everybody in the cast, character-wise, is queer in my brain. Like, Elphaba and Galinda were a little too suspicious for me personally. In my brain, there is fruitiness happening there. That’s my personal opinion.”
But beyond the musical’s queer subtext (or simply text, depending on who you ask), Bode says queer folks’ adoration for Wicked makes all the sense in the world. “The gays love musical theater, always. I love musical theater. Look at me; I’m queer,” she points out. Bode even thinks there’s a way to update the Wizard of Oz-inspired slang “friend of Dorothy” for a modern Wicked-loving queer community: “Are you for Galinda and Elphaba?” she pitches. It might not be as subtle as its 19th-century counterpart, but it definitely gets the point across.
“The straights are gonna get mad at me for saying this. But canonically, for me, everybody in the cast, character-wise, is queer in my brain.”
– Marissa Bode
In addition to joining the ranks of Wicked’s queer cast, Bode also broke ground as the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose, a character who, despite having been depicted as using a wheelchair since the musical’s earliest incarnations, has been authentically cast with a disabled actor. Bode hopes that her performance can change audiences’ perceptions of what disabled folks are capable of, both in the entertainment industry and in everyday life.
“It actually amazes me sometimes people’s preconceived ideas of what disabled people can and can’t do, especially since all disabilities are different, and some disabled people have different mobility than others, and others have more spoons socially, whereas others just don’t,” Bode says. “I think it’s important for both non-disabled audiences and disabled audiences to see that there is a lot disabled people can still do, and hopefully it sets precedents for casting to be, one, more authentic if it is a disabled role, but also just to include disabled people in general more and continue to do what the crew behind the scenes of Wicked did in terms of disability, which is asking the right questions [and] hiring a disability coordinator.”
Representation for disabled folks “goes well far beyond just simply casting a disabled person,” she emphasizes. “I think it’s really looking into it and making sure that said disabled person has the same equity as the rest of the cast and is included as much as the rest of the cast is in terms of comfort, trailer, all of that,” Bode explains. “The team of Wicked really got that right, and hopefully it sets the precedent in the future for other films — and jobs in general. Make your spaces in general accessible! I hope it sends that message.”
The stage version of Wicked, at least, has already taken a cue from Bode’s casting: this march, Jenna Bainbridge became the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose on Broadway, hopefully reflecting a trend for all future portrayals of the character.
Though the first Wicked film is already a cultural phenomenon, it’s only half of the full Wicked experience: Wicked: For Good, an adaptation of the musical’s second act, comes out on November 21, and Bode’s just as hyped to see it as any other fan.
“I’m excited to see, and for other people to see, where all the characters go in their arcs and the changes everyone’s gone through over this time jump in between,” she says. “I’m excited to hear my fellow castmates’ vocals in the songs that I know they’re absolutely going to devour. So I’m really excited for that, and I’m intrigued to see how dark it goes in terms of editing, what stays in, what doesn’t.”
Indeed, much of Wicked: For Good is a mystery to Bode, who was only on set for Nessa’s scenes. No spoilers, but that means she hasn’t seen some of the movie’s most anticipated musical numbers, including another powerhouse anthem from Erivo and the fan-favorite duet that served as Wicked: For Good’s namesake.
“Before seeing the first film, I still had glimpses of it throughout, whereas the second one, because I’m in less scenes throughout, I haven’t,” she says. “So I’m really especially intrigued this round to see what my fellow castmates do, because I truly have not seen a lot of it just yet.”
“It’s important for both non-disabled audiences and disabled audiences to see that there is a lot disabled people can still do.”
– Marissa Bode
Once Wicked: For Good finally comes out — and, fingers crossed, sweeps the ensuing awards season — what’s next for Bode? A little bit of everything, she imagines: Wicked was her feature film debut, and with the credit to her name, the entertainment world is her oyster. That includes hopefully working on projects in some of her favorite genres, like coming-of-age and horror (her faves include But I’m a Cheerleader and Get Out, respectively).
“There’s just a lot that I feel like I’m just getting started at. Wicked has, I feel like, opened the door, or at least given me the opportunity to be seen,” she says. “I would love to continue on whatever journey that I’m currently on.”
“Also, I’m putting it out there in the universe: I would love to be on Drag Race,” she adds. For those wondering, yes, Bode watched Season 17 and had a soft spot for her fellow theater queens: “I am an Onya Nurve stan and a Suzie Toot stan,” she says. “Those were my two faves. I love Ms. Suzanna Toot.”
In the meantime, Bode has a simple message for all the other queer folks out there: even in the face of 2025’s fraught political climate, never lose hope.
“There’s a lot going on in this world right now. There’s a lot of efforts being made to keep marginalized communities silent, keep queer people silent, keep trans people quiet, but our existence is valid and we are who we are. It is far from just a choice, and we are meant to be where we are and meant to be who we are,” she says. “Queer joy will always exist.” ♦
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