There’s no shortage of transformations happening in Wicked: For Good. But as it turns out, one of the biggest happened behind the scenes.
In a recent appearance on This Morning, Jeff Goldblum shared that he stopped eating meat and poultry after starring in Wicked and Wicked: For Good — citing their themes of animal welfare.
His Wicked Inspiration
Chatting with the British talk show on Nov. 10, Goldblum reflected on his character’s crimes — calling out the Wizard of Oz’s decision to “instigate and facilitate animal cruelty,” in addition to his “persecution of the Munchkins, and bad propaganda about vilifying Elphaba.”
The plight of animals in Oz, in particular, is a key theme of Wicked. As seen in the first film, animals like Dr. Dillamond are being silenced. And when Elphaba arrives in the Emerald City, she’s tricked into reciting a spell that harms the Wizard’s captive monkeys.
Though Wicked may be fictional, the mistreatment of Oz’s animals struck a very real chord with Goldblum. “It’s changed me — you know, after doing this movie, we talked about the animal cruelty, I stopped eating meat and poultry,” he said. “So this Christmas and Thanksgiving, I may be having another something else. But I’m happy. We need the world to work for everybody on Earth and every creature, too.”
While Goldblum’s decision to completely cut out meat may have been spurred along by Wicked, he’s no stranger to the plant-based world. The Jurassic Park alum once opted for vegan wings on Hot Ones, and his wife, Emilie Goldblum — with whom he shares two children — often shares vegan recipes online.
What’s Next For The Wizard?
Of course, before diving into his aforementioned holiday plans — his This Morning hosts recommended a nut roast — Goldblum is busy promoting Wicked: For Good. A highlight for him was performing the song “Wonderful” with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
“Pinch me, I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he said. “I’ll never forget being on set with them.”
While Glinda doesn’t appear in the song — in which the Wizard tries to convince Elphaba to join him — in the original Broadway musical, she was added for the film version. Director Jon M. Chu explained the change in an interview with Deadline, noting of Elphaba: “What would drive her back to the wizard? … It would be Glinda. We should add Glinda into that scene because Glinda would be the only one who can speak to her, convince her.”
