Bowen Yang Says “It’s a Miracle” That ‘Wicked’ Is Out Given the Political Climate: “It’s About Racism and Fascism”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/bowen-yang-wicked-message-climate-snl-1236168894/

28 comments

  1. >The star says he still feels like a “college student” when it comes to analyzing Wicked‘s themes, explaining that he feels it is “politically tragic,” just as much as it is commercially appealing and artistically beautiful. “It’s crazy that Wicked is out in the world and doing so well,” he said. “When it’s a story about racism and fascism, all these things. I’m like, ‘Oh shit, yeah.’ It is miraculous that it’s out there… Like, the only reason that the wizard has powers is because he creates problems for other people.”

  3. Famous Hollywood star has a persecution fetish? I’m shocked!

  4. Wicked was one of the most shallow movies I have ever seen. It’s faux depth makes it so much less meaningful than movies that are literally about nothing.

  5. Is it a miracle though? I didn’t end up seeing it in theaters but I heard it was good, and it’s based off a play that generally people say is good. People want to see good movies, even if the “politics” of it don’t perfectly line up with theirs.

    There’s been a string of movies/shows/whatever that have been released in the last decade that have been mediocre to bad, and when they fail, people look for every reason but the quality to explain the failure.

  6. People will call Wicked shallow and then rave about the complexity of The Batman.

  7. >It’s a miracle that Hollywood would release a movie with progressive values

    Yeah, ok buddy regards.

  8. Celebrities should use their platforms for good, but this is not that. Bowen has become a useful idiot for the right. An out of touch celebrity that says weird stuff like this, fueling the right’s hatred of celebrities and gay people all at once.

  9. You’re telling me that Hollywood tried to capitalize on something that’s been relevant in pop culture for decades? I’m shocked and possibly flabbergasted.

  10. It’s really not. Hollywood has always had a messy relationship with whatever the current political climate is. They are a business first, after all. They will do what is profitable first and do what is politically convenient second.

  11. It’s fan fiction that got turned into a musical. I liked the book and the musical. The movie seems like a natural next step but the drama is so dumb

  16. The chick on wicked the green chicklooks like if Hollywood designed what they thought an Oscar winner would be in the laboratory for 2025 lol and she still lost

  17. Well, he certainly isn’t talking about his portrayal tho. Probably one of the most cliché portrayal of a queer character in recent movie history. Weird dude.

  19. But there are better movies that are about fascism and racism with more depth.

  20. Bowen seems like a nice guy.

    Completely one dimensional and not the most talented, but a nice guy.

  21. No it fucking isn’t. It was an immensely popular stage musical that launched a new generation of theatre kids, an anticipated film adaptation is par for the course.

  22. We’re really just tossing around the word miracle like that nowadays.

  23. Woke liberalism is welcomed by the billionaire establishment; leftism is not.

  24. Why is it that every time a movie gets made, they always parrot the same “I cant believe this movie even got made”.

  25. It isn’t really. Hollywood is always looking for a film that says “Look, we’re so good! Ignore all our sh*tty aspects!” and Wicked was a guaranteed cash cow (I think this was the real motivator).

    Not the biggest fan of labelling surface level products as exceptional or a miracle— it kinda gate keeps stories lesser known which also reflect certain topics. The themes of Wicked and the writing are not super complex, and that’s okay. I think it would be nice for these stars to prop up lesser known projects that also reflect such values.

    Back in the day Hollywood lauded Crazy Rich Asians as great representation of Asia (it isn’t— it’s a caricature that is different from real life East Asian society as well as Asian made media) and the beginning of more Asian led, Asian starring media (that also didn’t happen, this film didn’t even get a sequel). The hyping up was real on that one— and I, as a North American born Asian, also tuned in. To this day I still see people (non Asian) parroting certain stereotypes from the film as fact to demonstrate their knowledge.
    I think something like EEAO is kinda more what his statement would align with. A small budget film that reflected a non glamorous version of the Asian American experience, that found major success not far out from the COVID era. Or Parasite, a foreign language film coming out of Korea that did a great job of highlighting the unique circumstances of the country and a film very beautifully shot. Or Even Godzilla Minus One— a sophisticated take on the monster movie.

  27. Yea, it’s really amazing that a movie was finally brave enough to tackle these taboo topics. Truly never been done before.

  28. Its like baby’s first anti-fascist movie. There’s even a literal *scapegoat* in it.

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