As Jon M. Chu’s first of two Wicked adaptations approaches its premiere on the 2024 movie schedule, every new trailer for the release is giving us more details about what to expect from the musical. The latest trailer (which you can watch above) offers the first appearance of Ariana Grande’s boyfriend, Ethan Slater, in the movie.
Last July, Ariana Grande ruffled feathers (and the rumor mill) when she took a break from shooting Wicked in the UK to attend a Wimbledon game. The hit-making pop singer was spotted without her wedding ring for the first time at the event after it was previously suggested that she and her husband Dalton Gomez were going through a rough patch. One year later, it’s rather common knowledge that she found romance on the set of Wicked with co-star Ethan Slater, and they have since both split from their prior relationships and gotten serious as a couple. And soon, fans will get to see them both in the movie where they met.
New Wicked Trailer Has First Look At Ethan Slater
In the middle of the incredible Summer Olympics opening ceremony telecast, Universal Pictures dropped this new spot in anticipation of the movie musical. Did you notice Ethan Slater’s debut? Here it is:
Slater is an accomplished Broadway actor who most notably played the lead role in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical from 2017 to 2018. He was also recently in the revival of Spamalot alongside James Monroe Iglehart and Taran Killam. He’s had small roles in things like Fosse/Verdon and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but Wicked will be the first time he’s been in a major film production.
Who Is Ethan Slater In The Wicked Movie?
Ethan Slater is a major part of the Wicked cast, but it’s not necessarily a surprise he hasn’t been featured yet in marketing, because there are so many big stars for the movie musical to set up. Along with being joined by Ariana Grande as Glinda, there’s Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard of Oz.
Slater is set to play Boq, a munchkin who is a student alongside Glinda and Elphaba at Shiz University (where the women meet). He doesn’t have his own song or anything in the stage play, but he does have an important arc in the storyline. He becomes a love interest to Elphaba’s younger sister, Nessarose, but only initially because he has his heart set on Glinda.
While sparks (er… monkeys) were flying between Grande and Slater on the set of the movie, in character, Glinda didn’t have a thing for Boq. She’ll instead be all heart-eyed over Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero.
While Boq doesn’t have a super significant role in the musical, it’s possible that he’ll have more to do in the movies. We’ll find out once Wicked: Part One comes out on November 22.