Wicked Casts Marissa Bode as First Wheelchair User to Play Nessarose on Screen

In the film adaptation of Wicked, the character Nessarose is portrayed by Marissa Bode, a wheelchair user, marking the first time a wheelchair user has played the role on the big screen. For over two decades on stage, the part was almost always performed by non-disabled actors. The movie reimagines Nessarose not as the Wicked Witch of the East—the character crushed by Dorothy's house—but as Elphaba's younger sister, who uses a wheelchair. The film deliberately avoids the trope of magical cure: in older versions, Nessarose was given enchanted shoes and a spell lifted her from her chair, implying disability needed fixing. Here, her wheelchair is not a problem to be solved. The narrative emphasizes that Nessarose is kind, scared, smart, and trying her best in a world that doesn't always accommodate her. This representation matters for disabled audiences, especially children, who rarely see themselves in magical stories. The film's message: being disabled is not a flaw, and difference is not a problem for magic to fix. By casting Bode, Wicked offers a powerful moment of recognition for those who move through the world differently, affirming that they too belong in the story.