Any Wicked fan could tell you that one of the production’s biggest unsolved mysteries is the whereabouts of the legendary lost footage of a shirtless Jonathan Bailey. That, and the photo of the Sexiest Man Alive recipient wearing nothing but his character’s boots.
Bowen Yang sent the internet into meltdown in 2024 when he revealed there was a deleted scene from the first film that saw both Bailey and Ethan Slater “ripping their shirts off”.
He told Trisha Paytas on her podcast Just Trish that there was a montage after “Popular” where Fiyero (Bailey), Boq (Slater), Glinda (Ariana Grande), Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Nessarose (Marissa Bode) hung out in the fields to highlight their newfound friendship — and the two men got half-undressed.
“So you were supposed to see Jonathan Bailey in his full shirtless glory, like flexing,” Yang detailed. “And then Boq, in the story of the movie, being insecure and wanting to look hot too, takes his shirt off. But then it’s like, ‘wait, Ethan’s got a great body’.”
Wicked deleted scene finally revealed
Director Jon M. Chu eventually confirmed the existence of the scene, telling Collider in December 2024 that it was cut because it didn’t quite work — which seems like a ridiculous excuse to me, but whatever.
“It’s really funny and hilarious, but it just didn’t fit the tone of our movie at a certain point,” he explained. “But maybe eventually, someone will see that. Maybe we’ll sneak that into the home video just in time.”
Thankfully, Chu is a man of his word and the scene is being released as a bonus feature with Wicked: For Good’s at-home release on December 30.
Entertainment Tonight shared a preview of the flashback montage and it’s just as delightful as fans imagined, with the group ditching school to head out to the woods.
The women work together to set up a game while Fiyero and Boq chop wood and take off their shirts, revealing their very chiselled physiques. You just know the Fiyero/Boq fan-fic writers are going crazy over their, dare I say, heated rivalry.
Besides Fiyero and Boq’s six-packs, the deleted scene shows the group playing a net game and sharing a picnic. Glinda and Fiyero also share a cute kiss through their racket and Elphaba gives Glinda her own pair of riding boots.
Fans have since agreed it’s a “shame” the scene wasn’t included in the film, as it not only explained the origin of Glinda’s boots but also showcased their friendship.
“I can’t believe they removed this from the movie. This would have added such good context that they actually hung out together,” one person commented.
“This scene would have been amazing in the movie to actually highlight their friendship; they should have kept it 100 per cent,” another agreed.
“It’s deleted scenes like this that really make you understand why Ariana and Cynthia loved this production so much,” someone else pointed out. “Not only were they filming the movie, but they filmed so many scenarios that they probably truly felt like they were living in the characters, and probably made their experience and connection to the movie stronger.”
Next, we need Bailey’s boots photo to be released from the vault.
