Jon M. Chu reveals why Dorothy's face stays hidden in 'Wicked: For Good'

Jon M. Chu is shedding light on why audiences never get a clear look at Dorothy’s face in Wicked: For Good.

Speaking with Business Insider, the director explained the creative reasoning behind keeping the Kansas teen mostly out of frame in the second half of his two-part film adaptation.

Chu said the decision began during casting. “At the auditions, we would put a sheet up, looking at the performer’s silhouette,” he recalled.

“Through that, I was looking at how she could walk, but also, could I guide her in that way? The person had to have youthful energy, so we ultimately chose a dancer.” Dorothy is played by Bethany Weaver, though Chu confirmed that scenes revealing her face were ultimately cut.

“We had opportunities to show more, and we shot some things where you could see her face, but our intention, from the beginning, was not to show her face,” he said. “But was I sure of that choice? We did get options for it, but every time, it was a distraction.”

He noted that the team leaned heavily on the musical’s guiding principle. “The thing we went by the whole time was something from the stage show,” he said.

“They told us, ‘It’s about the girls! Whatever is happening, it’s about the girls.’ So every time it drew us to, ‘What does Dorothy think?’ we reminded ourselves of that.”

For Good, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, follows the witches’ intertwined journeys and places Dorothy’s role firmly in the background.

While her face stays hidden, the film still incorporates key moments from her Oz story — from the falling house in Munchkinland to the bucket of water that appears to end Elphaba’s life.

Wicked: For Good is now in theaters.