Video: Marissa Bode Discusses the Evolution of Nessarose in WICKED: FOR GOOD

Actor Marissa Bode, who plays Nessarose in the two-part Wicked movie, joined TODAY with Jenna & Friends to speak about the evolution of her character and how she prepared to tap into the darker side in Wicked: For Good.

"She doesn't feel like she has control in the way that she wants to, whether that's over her own personhood, or disability, or just wanting to feel loved," said Bode. "I definitely internalized or did my best to stay in that [darker] mindset while filming... I journaled a lot as Nessa and I did my best to fill in the blanks, especially for the time jump that happens. I wanted to really see and really pinpoint what makes her switch..." Check out the full interview now. 

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.