Wicked’s Marissa Bode Sees Nessarose As More Than Just A Villain

This article contains spoilers for Wicked: For Good. The second installment of the Wicked film series marks a dark turn for Marissa Bode’s character Nessarose. Elphaba’s younger sister becomes a governess under the Wizard’s direction, holding her former flame Boq captive and enacting laws against munchkins and animals in the region. She eventually becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the East — and although Nessa may live up to that name in viewers’ eyes, Bode sees her character’s journey as much more human.

“She doesn't make the best decisions, but I fully understand them,” the 25-year-old actor says. “They come from a place of hurt and desperately wanting to have control over her own life.” She points to Nessa’s loss of her father, feeling abandoned by Elphaba, and learning that Boq never really wanted to be with her at all. “She has a lot on her plate that she didn't necessarily ask for, so she’s trying to battle the last bit of autonomy she has left.”

To get into character during filming, Bode spent extended time alone in her trailer, working through Nessa’s inner turmoil to capture it accurately on-screen. “I did my best to add the nuance of where she's coming from,” she says. “I really wanted to dig deep and give a performance I was proud of, and that did her character justice.”

At one point or another, we've all played a villain in someone's story.

Although Nessa never gets a redemption arc — she’s sacrificed by Madame Morrible’s weather spell when Dorothy’s house falls on her — Bode thinks her character deserves to be seen in a more forgiving light. “It's hard for me to outright call her a villain. I think at one point or another, we've all played a villain in someone's story,” she says. “Nessa does take on that villain role, especially because her actions affect a large number of people. But she’s finding out that she was never fully loved the way that she thought, which is devastating.”

Below, Bode opens up more about her character’s journey, the hardest scene to film, and the Wicked spinoff she’d love to see.

Elite Daily: How does it feel to have Wicked: For Good out in the world?

Marissa Bode: It feels good, but overwhelming for sure. I'm excited to see people's reactions and hopefully have them see the humanity in all the characters. There's already so much depth in the characters in the first one, but the depth really gets to shine in the second.

ED: For Good is a really different movie tonally from the first installment, especially for Nessarose. How would you describe her situation in this film?

MB: Nessa is still that girl we saw in the first film, but she's battling to decide what path she should take and if she should leave that girl behind completely. We see her forced into this governess position that I don't think she was ever ready for, but her dad is gone, and Elphaba is who knows where. The one good thing she has is Boq, even though I think she feels a lot of distance between them.

ED: You’ve said you spent more time alone while filming For Good, journaling about the role and staying in character. What did you learn from that?

MB: I learned how necessary it was for me to create a backstory for her, and fill in the blanks that weren't necessarily in the script. I also learned and developed what makes her switch — it's hard to even say “switch” because I think those parts were already in her — but I figured out the decision-making that led her to be who she is in the second film.

ED: I know you don’t see her as a villain, and that feels really applicable to Wicked’s themes — no character is all good or bad.

MB: 100%. That’s why the line, “Are people born wicked or is wickedness thrust upon them?” is so integral to the film. It’s important that the audience has the opportunity to look at people in all their thorns and recognize that nobody is born out of the womb as the devil incarnated. It's based on circumstances and how people are treated, or lack thereof.

ED: Was there one scene in For Good that you found the hardest to film?

MB: I think going from the Grimmerie into the hall space, and doing “The Wicked Witch of the East” song. I worked with the music department, and they did a good job of pushing me despite any insecurity I may have had.

ED: The script was changed from the play so that Elphaba’s spell helps Nessa fly instead of walk. How did you feel about that change?

MB: I really liked that. It made her more fleshed out, instead of the main focus of her character being “I want to be fixed,” because disabled people are so much more than that. Her flying and quite literally floating in the air, not only was that a great callback to the Ozdust scene in Part 1, but it also carries back to what she wants in life in general. Her deepest desire is to feel she has control for once.

ED: Were there any other changes to the script that surprised you?

MB: The lead-up to Nessa keeping Boq hostage. It gives more of an explanation to her thinking, “My sister left and father died, and Elphaba wasn't there when I needed her most.” She feels abandoned and is talking that through with Boq. Adding that in, then being able to see his switch and how deeply that hurts her, humanizes her and explains why she ends up being as cold as she does.

ED: Last year, there was a viral TikTok sound made based on your singing line about Boq. Are you expecting another viral moment this year?

MB: With a film as big as Wicked, I feel like it's bound to happen. I would not be surprised at all. Maybe me screaming Boq, or Ethan and the angry look on his face. The younger generation is so deeply unserious, so I can see them taking something that's supposed to be scary and turning it into something silly.

[I would love to see] Madame Morrible’s backstory and how she ends up being such an influential political figure in Oz.

ED: Did you get to keep any keepsakes from your Wicked experience?

MB: I did keep a flower from the Shiz University set. And then you don't see this part in the second film, but I have a letter from the opening ceremony for the Yellow Brick Road. I technically got two, so I kept one, and then I gave the other to my parents.

ED: Ariana Grande dropped a hint that “no one’s going anywhere,” which made people wonder about a Wicked 3. What else would you want to see from this story?

MB: Definitely Madame Morrible’s backstory and how she ends up being such an influential political figure in Oz. We get to see where most characters are coming from, but with her, we don’t know too much. Even with the Wizard, we see that he’s Elphaba's father, and we get hints that he came from Omaha and is a magician.

ED: Now that your Oz journey is done, what is coming up next for you?

MB: I'm auditioning for things. I did two short films this past summer that were super, super fun — The Hog Queen and Fine, Probably. Both are kind of campy, which I love. I'm looking forward to more people seeing those when they're ready. And I would love to continue using my voice and my platform to do more on-the-ground work, and be able to create real change and open more minds.

ED: Are you manifesting anything right now?

MB: I'm manifesting to have more fun in this industry and take on more roles that challenge me, and I’m manifesting a more equitable world.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.