Ahead of the release of Wicked: For Good, actor Jeff Goldblum reflected on his character The Wizard, saying that the role transformed him into a better person.
In Wicked: For Good, slated to release on 21 November, Goldblum returns as The Wizard, who now faces the collapse of the world he built on illusion.
“The Wizard was a traveling magician and fortune teller who has always been part showman, part trickster,” Goldblum said in a statement.
“At some point, he is swept into Oz, where he uses his cleverness to convince others he possesses real power. He is not malicious by nature, but he is opportunistic and learns to thrive on influence and adoration. Over time, he begins to believe his own deception. Beneath that, though, there is still a part of him that wants to do something good. I think he just gets lost in the illusion,” the 73-year-old actor added.
When For Good begins, that illusion starts to break. The Wizard’s authority, once built on spectacle, now survives on fear.
“He has lived in Oz as a pretender and a showman who has done some good but also harm, ” Goldblum shared. “Especially to the Animals he scapegoated to hold power. Madame Morrible leads the campaign to brand Elphaba as ‘wicked,’ while Elphaba hides, determined to expose the truth about The Wizard’s regime. When she finally returns, their reunion is brief but revealing. Something genuine surfaces in The Wizard, and it unsettles everything he has built.”
The silencing of the Animals remains The Wizard’s greatest failure. “In Oz, Animals can speak, feel and think just as deeply as humans, but the system has stripped them of that freedom,” Goldblum said.
“Morrible drives it, but The Wizard allows it to happen. He confines them and suppresses their voices to protect his power. Elphaba recognizes the injustice and makes the Animals’ cause her own,” he further explained.
For Goldblum, playing The Wizard was transformative. “This whole experience has been unexpected and beautiful. I have been lucky to work with some of the most extraordinary people, and to witness up close the way they act and make music at the same time. You cannot be around that and not be made better. The story, about building a world that works for everyone, has stayed with me,” the veteran actor signed off.