Wicked: For Good's devastating 'door scene' was improvised by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

25 November 2025, 15:19

By Katie Louise Smith

The 'closet door scene' between Elphaba and Glinda in 'For Good' was improvised by Cynthia and Ariana.

If you've seen Wicked: For Good, then you've probably already sobbed your heart out to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's emotionally devastating performance of their final duet 'For Good'.

But did you know that that Elphaba and Glinda scene (the one with the door... if you know, you know) was improvised by the leading duo and didn't actually exist in the original script.

Director Jon M. Chu has now revealed the emotional moment Cynthia and Ari came up with the exchange during rehearsals. He loved it so much, he decided there and then that he needed to include it in the film's final cut.

The improvised moment also directly inspired the film's title.

• Read more: Wicked: For Good finally reveals mystery actress who plays Dorothy
• Read more: What does Glinda whisper to Elphaba? Wicked: For Good director explains final shot

WARNING: Spoilers for Wicked: For Good ahead!

The improvised scene in question is the moment when Elphaba pulls Glinda into the closet just before Dorothy throws water over her, during 'For Good'. Their final scene together.

The scene plays out on-screen as a split screen with Glinda hidden in the closet and Elphaba on the other side of the door, both leaning their foreheads in and sobbing as they say goodbye to each other.

That goodbye moment didn't exist in the original script - Cynthia and Ariana found it in rehearsal and Jon M. Chu decided to keep it in the film.

Speaking to Variety, Jon revealed that the duo started improvising an emotional farewell, placing their hands on an imaginary door in the corner of the room. "It was in rehearsals that we found it,” Jon said. “Cynthia grabs her and says, 'Come here.' And I’m like, where are they going? And they go to this corner, and she puts her in a box or a closet.”

Jon was so locked in to their improv, he forgot to call cut and the duo carried on.

Watch the final Wicked: For Good trailer

Cynthia and Ariana also ad-libbed the dialogue in the scene. Glinda's "What's going on?" was improvised by Ariana in the moment, and Elphaba's "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," was added by Cynthia.

Their "I love you" moment was also not in the script. "The moment that I tell her I love her at the door, and she says it back, that was not in the script," Cynthia told Today. "All of that was sort of what she and I found in the room."

"I think both of us were just figuring out how each of our characters would actually say goodbye," she added. "Even through the song, there wasn't much direction. He just let us sing to one another. Tell each other the truth."

In order to capture that improvised moment, they had to demolish a wall on the set.

"We had to knock down that wall,” he continued. "They told me, 'If you knock down that wall, you can’t use the set anymore.' But I didn’t care. It was the moment. Knock down the effing wall."

The whole thing paid off massively, and Jon now credits it as his personal favourite moment across both films. It also led to him choosing the name for Part 2: "That’s when I knew the second movie had to be called ‘For Good.'"

Read more about Wicked here:

• When will Wicked: For Good be on streaming? How to watch online
• Every actress who auditioned for Elphaba in the Wicked movie
• Can Glinda do magic? Ariana Grande explains Wicked: For Good's surprise ending
• Every actress who auditioned for Glinda in the Wicked movie
• Amanda Seyfried reveals gruelling multi-year audition process to play Glinda in Wicked

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