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Wicked is an American fantasy musical drama based on Stephen Schwartz's stage musical, inspired by L. Frank Baum's Oz book series. Directed by Jonathan Murray Chu, it is the first part of a two-movie adaptation.
Written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film is set in the Land of Oz and follows Elphaba Troop's journey as narrated by her childhood friend, Glinda the Good. The story reveals the events that led Elphaba to become the Wicked Witch of the West.
American comedian and actor Bowen Yang plays the role of Pfannee in Wicked. He is one of Glinda's friends at Shiz University, who is mesmerized by her beauty and shares a liking towards her. Wicked made its theatrical release on November 22, 2024, and became the sixth-highest-grossing movie of the year, per Box Office Mojo. The movie's sequel Wicked: For Good is set to release on November 21, 2025.
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Who is Bowen Yang?
Born on November 6, 1990, in Brisbane, Australia, Bowen Yang's family moved to Montreal, Canada, when he was six months old and later to Aurora, Colorado, when he was nine. He graduated from New York University in 2008.
Yang, who is openly gay, faced familial conflicts over his identity. While at NYU, he met comedian Matt Rogers, and together they launched the podcast Las Culturistas, where Yang shares his struggles with identity and experiences as part of the queer community.
Bowen Yang slowly started appearing in comedy shows including The Outs (2012), and Broad City (2014). He joined Saturday Night Live in September 2018 as a writer and later became a performer. He made history as the first SNL actor nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
He had a guest appearance in the HBO Comedy series High Maintenance, and was selected in the supporting cast of the movie Isn't It Romantic in 2019.
In September 2019, after working for a year as a staff writer in SNL, Yang was promoted to the position of featured player in SNL season 45, alongside Chloe Fineman.
What is the role of Pfannee in the Wicked movie?
In Wicked, actor Bowen Yang plays the role of Pfannee, who is one of Glinda's freinds at the University. Pfannee along with his friend ShenShen (played by Browyn James ) are close friends to Glinda, who often compliment Glinda, for her beauty. However, both of them have a shared dislike for Elphaba.
Pfannee is portrayed as a humorous character, with a flirtatious nature for Glinda. However, he shares a deep admiration for her, and the brevity of her actions. However, it should be noted that Pfannee was portrayed as a female character in the original musical.
One of the important screentime which Pfannee shared in the movie, is when he along with ShenShen, encourages Glinda to gift Elphaba a black hat. She goes on to wear it at the Ozfest Ball, which leads to the memorable scene, where Glinda and Elphaba dance together.
Bowen Yang talks about his role as Pfannee in the Wicked movie
In a conversation with Today, published on November 20, 2024, Bowen Yang revealed that lead actress Ariana Grande played a huge contribution, in him receiving the role of Pfannee. Yang stated that as per SNL rules, the cast members were strictly not allowed to sign movies during the SNL seasons.
However, Grande personally contacted SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels, to allow Yang to be in the Wicked movie, while also working on the show.
As per an NBC article, published on November 21, 2024, Bowen Yang shared that he made some changes in the script to do justice to the character of Pfannee. Reported on NBC, on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Bowen Yang said,
“I was like, I’m not going to change a word of this script, this is the perfect script, I’m not going to ruin this movie with my thoughts.”
Bowen Yang also shared that John M. Chu, the director of Wicked, encouraged him to do extra takes, wherever he felt he could improvise, and add his own lines to the original script.
“And then, this man pulled a fast one on me and used every single adlib,” Yang shared, adding, “I am so sorry that millions of people have to see me say these silly words," Yang shared.
Providing Yang enough space to bring his own humor to the storyline, led to Pfannee's unique character in the Wicked movie. As per a People article published on November 25, 2024, Bowen Yang revealed that he wanted to play a role in the Wicked ever since childhood. He remembered the original Broadway production of Wicked back in 2003. Yang said,
“My first trip to New York when I was 13, Wicked had just come out, but I begged my parents to go to the Gershwin just so I could touch the glass and look inside the lobby,” he added, “We couldn't afford tickets, but I just wanted to feel it in my hand, just look at the signs.”
Bowen Yang also added that the very same day, he first saw the studio of Saturday Night Live. He said,
“And then, that same day, we went to 30 Rock at NBC and did the studio tour, and I sat in the seats at SNL,” he added, "So, I was like, ‘If those two things happened on the same day, I need them to intersect just one more time.' "
Bowen Yang shared that just before the premiere on November 22, 2024, he along with his mates from SNL, watched the final cut of the movie, at a special screening. Along with his time in acting and performing at SNL, Yang still hosts the Las Culturistas podcast, which airs a new episode every Wednesday.
Check our other articles for more details on the Wicked movie.
