Casting Reveal: How Jonathan Bailey Almost Missed Out on ‘Wicked’ and Emma Corrin Made the Perfect ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Villain

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Emma Corrin was not previously cast as a villain or involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, when Sarah Halley Finn, the casting director for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” stumbled upon this British actor (famously recognized for movies like “My Policeman” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and portraying Princess Diana on “The Crown”) she recognized a talent capable of standing up to the film’s main stars, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. In this upcoming production, Corrin will be playing Cassandra Nova, the wicked sister of Charles Xavier.

Finn, who’s been nominated for this year’s Artios Awards in the big budget comedy category for features, notes that the villain had numerous elements that made their power seem distinct and contemporary. He expresses his admiration for Corrin’s performance and how they breathed life into the role.”

(The goal here is to maintain the original meaning of the sentence while using simpler and more conversational language.)

Finn has worked on MCU casting before, with roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Black Panther,” and all three “Iron Man” movies. Yet, she faced challenges while searching for the ideal actor to portray Mr. Paradox, a character from “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

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Finn has been involved with casting for the MCU before, having roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Black Panther,” and all three “Iron Man” movies. However, finding the perfect actor to play Mr. Paradox from “Deadpool & Wolverine” proved to be a tough task for her.

Finn conducted tryouts, constantly scrutinizing for a performer who could captivate the audience with their detestable charm, and he consistently found himself drawn back to Matthew Macfadyen, known for his role in HBO’s “Succession.

According to Finn, the actor chosen for the role was expected to appear in numerous significant scenes alongside prominent actors. The ideal candidate needed to exhibit strength, possess a knack for humor, display intelligence at times, and be capable of being absurd. It was crucial that the audience could trust and follow him, and it was then that they considered Matthew. He had all the qualities we were seeking.

Similarly, casting directors Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Little Canfield, who were nominated for “Wicked”, faced the challenge of finding a diverse range of dancers, encompassing various body types, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds, to portray the student body at Shiz University.

Even though Telsey had a list of talented actors at his disposal, he found it difficult to cast Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger sister, in the play. “Finding young performers who are wheelchair users, singers, and actors all at once is not going to be people I already know,” Telsey explained, as he was involved in the casting for the original Broadway musical “Wicked” more than 25 years ago.

It wasn’t possible for them to proceed with casting Nessarose until they had found an actress for Elphaba first. Once Cynthia Erivo was cast in the role of Elphaba, Marissa Bode was then brought on to play Nessarose.

In London and New York, where the movie was filmed, Telsey conducted auditions. This allowed them to add actors from West End musical productions to the supporting cast. For instance, Adam Nyman, known for his role as The Governor in a 2019 revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and Alice Fearn, who portrayed Glinda’s mother in “Wicked” from 2017 to 2019, were among these talents.

Nearly prevented another prominent British stage actor from taking on the pivotal role of Fiyero in “Wicked”. Telsey first encountered Jonathan Bailey several years back following his stellar performance in Marianne Elliott’s gender-swapped West End adaptation of the musical “Company”. Telsey describes Bailey as incredibly charismatic, gifted, and perfectly suited to play Fiyero.

Since Bailey wasn’t reachable, they found themselves conducting a series of auditions spanning several months, yet none yielded a suitable Fiyero. Eventually, COVID-19 delayed every project, including some shows that Bailey was involved in. As Telsey put it, “I believe Fiyero might have been one of the last roles to be cast, but everything ultimately fell into place.

And that is what lies at the heart of the craft of casting.

Finn expresses, “The goal is to create a unified, captivating environment where everything feels new and incredibly engaging.

The Artios Awards will be held on Feb. 12 in London, Los Angeles and New York.

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2025-02-03 20:47