A long-teased deleted sequence from Wicked has finally made its way online, giving fans their first look at a scene that was quietly left on the cutting-room floor. The newly released montage features Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater shedding their shirts in character as Fiyero and Boq, a moment that had previously been hinted at by cast members.
The footage, released by Entertainment Tonight, brings renewed attention to comments Bowen Yang made last year about a cut post-“Popular” montage meant to show the main characters bonding.
“They shot a whole montage after ‘Popular’… just to show the audience these are all friends now — Fiyero, Glinda, Elphaba, Nessa, and Boq — the five of them, running around in the fields, hanging out.”
He went on to describe a specific moment filmed outdoors in London that drew attention even during production.
“There was one moment, and there were paparazzi shots of this because they had to shoot in, like, a park in London, of them hanging out, where it’s Boq and Fiyero, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater, ripping their shirts off. And so you were supposed to see Jonathan Bailey in his full shirtless glory, like flexing,” he added.
Yang explained that the scene was intended to underscore Boq’s discomfort standing next to Fiyero, though he joked that the idea may have backfired.
“But then it’s like, ‘Wait, Ethan’s got a great body,’” Yang said. “I might get in trouble for saying that. But the movie’s out, it’s fine.”