Director John M. Chu’s blockbuster filmWickedshines with musical star power, particularly that of its two lead actors, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. For the most part, it makes full use oftheWickedmovie cast’smusical prowess, making for an incredible cinema experience. However, the film barely utilizes the talents of a notable Broadway star in its supporting cast: Keala Settle. Settle is best known for performing as Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady from Hugh Jackman’s hit musical filmThe Greatest Showman.
InWicked, Settle portrays Miss Coddle, the headmaster of Shiz University. Despite being a high-ranking member ofthe staff atWicked’sShiz University, Coddle hardly appears in the film or its large, exuberant musical numbers. This role is a far cry from her much larger one in the wildly successfulThe Greatest Showman.By theend ofWicked, the film failed to showcase Coddle’s true talents on the big screen, making her appearance in the movie more of a missed opportunity.
Keala Settle’s Role In Wicked Is Much Smaller Than Expected After The Greatest Showman
Wickedshows Miss Coddle acting as the smiling mouthpiece of Shiz University. However, she spends most of her screen time trying to brush aside thegreen-skinned Elphaba. She also tries to quell the tensions on her campus with thediscrimination towards talking animals inWicked. In the end, Settle’s character merely embodies theactive and complicit bias rampant throughout the land of Oz.
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Meanwhile, inThe Greatest Showman,Lettie Lutz is a prominent member of P.T. Barnum’s circus who overcomes discrimination to achieve a sense of belonging. ConsideringWickeddealt with similar themes through Elphaba and the talking animals, Settle seemed to be the perfect fit for the story following her performance as Lutz. Though the latter is the inverse of Miss Coddle, hadWickedgiven Settle’s character a more significant role with more development, her performance could’ve resonated more with audiences.
Wicked Doesn’t Even Give Keala Settle A Major Musical Moment
A Broadway Star Like Keala Settle Deserves More Than A Simple Cameo In Wicked
Settle hardly has the time to shine inWickedwhen her fellow cast members break out into massive musical numbers. However, since the musical numbers are mainly centered around Elphaba, Glinda, and Prince Fiyero, it’s no surprise thata secondary character like Miss Coddle didn’t get a huge moment in them. Nevertheless, Settle’s role in the film was far beneath her due to her extraordinary singing and dancing skills.
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Settle stood out inThe Greatest Showmannot only as an actor but also as a musical performer. One of the film’s songs,This Is Me, which Settle participated in, evenwon a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Settle already proved that she deserved a larger role in a musical blockbuster likeWicked. The fact that her character had such a small presence throughout the film made for an unwelcome surprise.
Can Wicked 2 Redeem Keala Settle’s Role?
Wicked 2 Could Give Keala Settle A Bigger Musical Presence
Though the firstWickedfilm didn’t give Settle the role she deserves,Wicked: Part Twohas the opportunity to expand Settle’s presence in the story as it nears its end.The rest of Wicked’s storylikely takes placeyears after Elphaba and Glinda leave Shiz. However, the sequel could still have Miss Coddle return for a musical number that better displays her talents.
Wicked: Part Twocan have her voice of the talking computer-generated animals that populate Oz, which could at least allow Settle to break out her fantastic vocals.
Even if the sequel can’t bring Miss Coddle back,it could instead feature Settle playing another character with a greater appearance in the film’s musical sequences.Wicked: Part Twocan have her voice of the talking computer-generated animals that populate Oz, which could at least allow Settle to break out her fantastic vocals. Actor Peter Dinklage was able to do so with his voice-only role as the talking goat Dr. Dillamond.
Wickedmay have displayed the franchise’s enormous potential on the big screen, but Keala Settle’s character in the film shows how some of that potential may have already been squandered. Her performance inThe Greatest Showmanpresented her incredible talents as a Broadway actor,which may have singlehandedly opened the door for her to star inWicked. Whether or not she was content with simply appearing in the film, one can only hope that the sequel uses her more as a musical performer and proves once more why she was born to star inWicked.
