IN her blue gingham dress and brown pigtails, with trusty dog Toto by her side, Dorothy Gale is one of the most famous characters in Hollywood history.
But 86 years after original actress Judy Garland skipped down the Yellow Brick Road, the schoolgirl from Kansas is back on the big screen — and being played by a Pilates instructor from Surrey.
Bethany Weaver, 30, has been unveiled as the woman portraying Dorothy in big-budget movie Wicked: For Good, which will hit cinemas this Friday.
It follows on from last year’s first film, simply titled Wicked, and completes the tale of the witches of Oz — Elphaba and Glinda, played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
But while the first musical extravaganza was a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz, the second instalment’s plot runs parallel to that of the 1939 film, with the tale told from an entirely different perspective.
That means viewers will once again see Dorothy with the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.
Identity a secret
But The Sun can reveal Bethany appears on screen for only 69 seconds and says a total of six words.
And her friends might not even recognise her, because her face is never shown.
Explaining the decision, director Jon M Chu said: “I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with.
“[The sequel] is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.”
Cynthia said: “I think that’s such a wonderful thing to do because then everyone gets to keep the Dorothy they know.”
Universal Pictures went to huge lengths to keep Bethany’s identity a secret, stopping her from attending the movie’s major premieres.
The cast and crew were banned from following or interacting with her on social media, and on Instagram she had just 1,041 followers before being formally announced yesterday.
Trained at The Urdang Academy, a performing arts college in central London, Bethany has had a string of theatre jobs.
These include in Oklahoma! at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage, Hert, and Broken Wings: The Musical at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End then toured in Doha and Dubai.
She recently helped to choreograph a production of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
But away from the stage, she has a less showbiz-like career, as a Pilates instructor.
Her casting ends a year of speculation, as film fans had been convinced Irish actress Alisha Weir, who played the lead in 2022 movie Matilda: The Musical, would get the role.
Alisha, 16, attended the London premiere of the first Wicked film last November wearing silver shoes, which was thought to be a reference to the original colour of the character’s ruby heels in 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, by L Frank Baum.
Even superstar Taylor Swift was at one point linked to the role.
The video for her 2022 song Karma saw her skipping down a yellow brick road. Then an image of the singer dressed as Dorothy went viral before later being debunked as AI.
But with an all-star cast in Wicked: For Good, there is plenty of star power to propel it to success.
The line-up includes People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey, Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, and Jurassic Park’s Jeff Goldblum.
Wicked, released last November, became the highest-grossing film of the year at the UK box office, raking in £61million within weeks.
Now the sequel is being forecast to repeat its success, with expectations its takings will surpass other 2025 blockbusters’, such as the £56million made by A Minecraft Movie and the £46million earned by Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
Universal bosses also hope the movie will get awards, after the first flick landed ten Oscar nods, though only won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
The film is based on the second half of the Broadway musical but also features two new songs, which will be available on the official soundtrack, out on Friday.
Written especially for the big-screen version were The Girl In The Bubble and No Place Like Home — solos sung by Ariana and Cynthia, respectively.
The tracks mean the two stars could go head to head for the Best Original Song Oscar.
For them to finally be getting the full picture, and to know the secrets we’ve known all along, is very exciting.
Ariana Grande
Both Wicked movies were filmed, back to back from December 2022 to January 2024, at studios in Elstree and Leavesden, Herts, although Ariana and Cynthia returned to the UK this May for last-minute reshoots.
An estimated $150million was spent on each film, with millions more on marketing them.
The investment has paid off, with the first flick’s $756million global takings setting a box office record for a stage-to-screen adaptation.
And Universal is going all out to market its sequel too. Yesterday, it was revealed that Brick Lane in East London has been transformed into the Yellow Brick Lane — with the famous path from the Wizard Of Oz now running down the road, along with several Wicked murals.
There have also been a series of big-brand tie-ins, with Wicked-themed products including Le Creuset cookware, Crocs, rugs, trainers, perfume, and even drinks and bakes at high- street chain Greggs.
Wicked Barbie dolls are expected to be one of the most in-demand toys this Christmas. And its legacy is likely to be more musicals on the big screen.
Following the success of the first film, Universal has agreed a musical about Alice In Wonderland, which will star Sabrina Carpenter.
A third film in the Mamma Mia! storyline is also expected to go ahead.
And there is talk of Nicole Scherzinger — who had been linked to the role of Elphaba in 2017 — starring in a film adaptation of Sunset Boulevard.
As for Cynthia and Ariana, they have spent the past two weeks on a promotional tour for the movie, including premieres in Sao Paulo, Paris, London, Singapore and, on Monday evening, New York.
But it has taken its toll. Cynthia, in a black gown featuring leather and feathers on the red carpet in the Big Apple, was unable to do interviews there after losing her voice in the lead-up to the movie’s release.
‘Incredible ride’
Meanwhile, talk during the promo run has turned to Ariana’s relationship with her co-star Ethan Slater, who plays munchkin Boq.
Romance blossomed during filming, just after her marriage to estate agent Dalton Gomez crumbled — and following his split from the mother of his son, psychologist Lilly Jay.
But despite steering clear of each other on red carpets and declining to talk about one another, the couple are quietly still going strong after two and a half years as an item.
And while Ariana — who wore a pink tulle skirt and a black corseted bodice at the New York premiere — is not saying goodbye to Ethan, she is moving away from the role of Glinda.
The peroxide-blonde locks she has in Wicked have been dyed back to brown and Ariana has moved on to her next project, recently completing work on the latest film in the Meet The Parents franchise.
Reflecting on the release of the final Wicked film, an emotional Ariana explained: “It has been such an incredible ride and an incredible experience to create with people we love so much and respect so much creatively, but also who just have such great hearts.”
Speaking about the characters, who she and Cynthia auditioned for in 2021, she said: “It’s almost five years that we’ve spent with them.
“So, for them to finally be getting the full picture, and to know the secrets we’ve known all along, is very exciting.”
Ariana added: “This project will always be part of our lives.”
WICKED: FOR GOOD FILM REVIEW
★★★★☆
AFTER a storming first instalment which saw it become the highest- grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical EVER, Wicked is back with more mesmerising magic.
And Wicked: For Good is every bit as good as last year’s 160-minute epic.
It is a pre-Christmas cracker, bursting with heart and soul and a musical score so emotionally charged it will leave you weeping into your popcorn.
In part two, we see Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship tested as they assume new roles as The Wicked Witch of The West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Elphaba, British stage actress Cynthia Erivo, is now in exile, working behind the scenes to expose the fraud that is the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
Meanwhile, cute as a button – but distractingly dead behind the eyes – Ariana Grande’s Glinda floats about the pain-stakingly hand-crafted Oz in her bubble, singing the praises of Oz’s increasingly bonkers wizard and preparing to marry her fairytale Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey).
Elphaba and Glinda spend the film’s 137 minutes attempting to reconcile, and the impending loss of the once BFF’s friendship is genuinely heart-wrenching.
Ariana may well be the A-list turn but it is Cynthia who once again steals the show, playing tough but vulnerable Elphaba with a pitch-perfect rawness.
Meanwhile a new arrival makes her way down the Yellow Brick Road with her tin, straw and cowardly companions, as the back story slowly melds into the – altogether now – “wonderful Wizard of Oz”.
Wicked’s Dorothy could have been plucked straight from Victor Fleming’s 1939 masterpiece, such is her similarity to Judy Garland. Clever.
This being a musical, the heart and soul of the film is the score, and it is sublime.
From the subtle reprisals of part one’s belter, Defying Gravity, to the tear-jerking strains of the title track, this is one musical that will stick in your head.
