Wicked: For Good’s Dorothy Bethany Weaver on Jonathan Bailey’s scarecrow stubble and why her Toto was on a leash

Bethany Weaver on the set of Wicked, photo provided by Weaver

The question of who was playing Dorothy in the Wicked movies caused a tornado of speculation!

Now, Bethany Weaver can have her moment in the spotlight. The actress has revealed details about her time on set with director Jon M Chu, Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey and more, as well as her connection with Oscar, who played Toto.

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In our long-read interview, Weaver explained how the set became her “playground” as Dorothy and credited the team for making everything feel particularly real. Seeing Bailey up close after his transformation into the Scarecrow, she observed: “The texture of his face with the little bits of straw popping out, it almost replicated the stubble he had as Fiyero, a real man.”

Further crediting the wigs, hair and make-up team, as well as Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell, she said: “There was so much to admire in the Tin Man, Ethan’s little nose and all of the detail in his ears, it was just amazing,” before confirming: “Everything that you see from me as Dorothy, every expression through my body and even through my side profile, it’s all because everything was just so beautifully put together.”

With regards to Toto, Weaver spoke fondly about Oscar, who became her “emotional support dog”, particularly while filming “March of the Witch Hunters”.

Oz fans were quick to note that Wicked: For Good showed Dorothy’s trusty sidekick Toto on a leash for the first time. Speaking about the theories online, Weaver said: “I love how people tied it to the relationship between Dorothy and Elphaba and how, through the lens of Elphaba, she sees a dog on a leash, and she sees an animal having their voice taken away, an animal being controlled and silenced and manipulated.” Before confirming that it was, in fact, for safety reasons, as the yellow brick road was close to a large body of water.

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