Bowen Yang Got Reneé Rapp Hype for ‘Wicked’

Excitement is building for the Wicked movie after the release of the latest trailer starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — and Reneé Rapp is very much among those who will be seated when the movie hits theaters on Nov. 22.

“Speaking on behalf of everyone, we’re all thrilled,” Rapp told Erivo in their Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians conversation. “We as a collective are thrilled. I, specifically, am very thrilled. Very, very thrilled.”

Rapp, who got her start acting on Broadway before launching her career as a fast-rising pop star, continued with a mention of their mutual friend Bowen Yang. “I saw him before the first trailer came out, and he was like, ‘You’re gonna lose your shit,’” she told Erivo. “I was like, ‘Really? You think I’m going to lose my shit?’ He was like, ‘Definitely.’”

She added: “And I heard the [vocal] lick at the end, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m good. I’m gonna kill myself. This is amazing.’”

The two Musicians on Musicians stars were united in their appreciation for the SNL star. “Oh, I love Bowen,” Erivo said. Rapp agreed: “He’s the greatest. He’s perfect.”

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Erivo added that filming Wicked has been a creatively fulfilling experience for her. “I love what they’ve allowed us to do with the music in this piece,” she said. “It’s not that we’ve rewritten the book or anything, but we’ve been allowed the space to put ourselves into the music…. It’s been really lovely… I loved doing this.”

Our sixth annual Musicians on Musicians issue stars Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan on the cover, with more conversations coming from Rapp and Erivo; Blackpink’s Lisa and “Water” hitmaker Tyla; superproducers Timbaland and Metro Boomin; Christina Aguilera and Raye; Natalia Lafourcade and Leon Bridges; and Coco Jones and Ayra Starr.