Baz Luhrmann has set tongues wagging after a peculiar act was captured on camera at a Wicked: For Good event.
The Aussie director, famed for bringing The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge! to the big screen, hosted the intimate gathering, which was attended by the likes of Charlize Theron and Rebel Wilson.
Rebel, 45, took to Instagram to share pictures and videos from the evening, with one clip of the Elvis director baffling fans.
In the post, Baz could be seen congratulating Wicked’s leading ladies Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, and Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, on their performance.
However, when the Oscar-winning director leaned in to hug and kiss the actresses, he could be seen not touching them with his hands.
Baz’s hands hovered over Grande and Erivo as he awkwardly embraced them.
Baz Luhrmann (pictured) has set tongues wagging after a peculiar act was captured on camera at a Wicked: For Good event
In the post, Baz could be seen congratulating Wicked’s leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on their performance but he didn’t touched them with his hands while embracing
Wicked: For Good has delivered one of the biggest debuts of the year, opening to a record-breaking $150million in North America and $226million worldwide during its first weekend in theatres.
The highly anticipated sequel led the North American box office earlier this month with $68.7million from 4,115 theatres, a figure that includes $30.8million in previews.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film is the second instalment of his large-scale adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, chronicling the untold origin story of the witches of Oz.
The production shattered multiple performance records.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it now holds the largest opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, surpassing last year’s Wicked debut of $112.5million, and ranks as the third-largest opening of all time among musical films, behind The Lion King (2019) and Beauty And The Beast (2017).
Much of that success was credited to Erivo and Grande’s ‘powerhouse’ performances – with extra emphasis on Grande’s Oscar buzzy portrayal of Glinda.
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney went as far to say that Grande ‘owns’ Part Two as she so effortlessly brings Glinda to ‘luminous life’.
‘Grande has been acting since she was a kid, and her quiet moments of introspection, anxiety or sadness show tender depths, as does her loyalty to Elphaba,’ he wrote.
Wicked: For Good has delivered one of the biggest debuts of the year, opening to a record-breaking $150million in North America and $226million worldwide during its first weekend in theatres (Pictured: Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda)
He referred to both Grande and Erivo as ‘stellar vocal talents’.
‘Erivo remains a powerhouse, with pipes that shake the heavens and a wellspring of unforced emotional intensity that never runs dry,’ Rooney penned.
As for the film itself, Rooney said that while Wicked’s most ‘memorable songs’ are featured in Part One, Wicked: For Good ‘more than compensates’ by investing in ‘character, story and sumptuous design’.
The release also posted the second-best opening weekend ahead of Thanksgiving and currently stands as the second-largest three-day launch of 2025, trailing A Minecraft Movie.
