Marissa Bode Honored with Christopher Reeve Acting Award for WICKED Movie Role

Marissa Bode has won the Christopher Reeve Acting Award at the Media Access Awards for starring as Nessarose in Wicked. The honor, created by the late actor, is a cash award supporting new, up-and-coming performers with disabilities. Bode is notable as the first wheelchair user to play the character, taking on the role in both films.

During the 2025 ceremony, Bode was presented with the award by Cesily Collette Taylor, the actress who plays young Nessarose in the film. "Representation, of course, is incredibly important, but I want us to remind ourselves to extend far beyond just the casting," said Bode upon accepting the honor. "Disabled people are not something to just cross off a diversity checklist. A reminder that our voices will always, always matter and that we have a place in this world."

Check out Taylor's introduction and Bode's acceptance speech in the video. The ceremony, which celebrates disability representation in media, was hosted by Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and took place in Los Angeles on October 8. It will be broadcast on November 5 on PBS SoCal Plus at 8:00 pm PT.  

Marissa Bode made her feature film debut in 2024 as the principal character Nessarose in Wicked: Part One, directed by Jon M. Chu. A disability rights activist, Bode is the first wheelchair user to play the role of Nessarose. She has been acting since the age of 8 and trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Bode will reprise her role in Wicked: For Good, which will be released on November 21, 2025. Check out BroadwayWorld's exclusive interview with the performer here.

Wicked: For Good picks up after the 2024 blockbuster. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard. Get tickets to see Wicked: For Good in theaters and check out first reactions for the new movie here.

Wicked: For Good will hit theaters on November 21, 2025, and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. Other cast members include Tony-nominee Colman Domingo as the voice of the Cowardly Lion and Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

Wicked: For Good is based on Act Two of the musical stage play with music and lyrics by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire.