November 9, 2021
Watch: Fan Imagines a 'Wicked' Billy Porter Audition for Upcoming Movie
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Who do you want to see in the upcoming film version of "Wicked?" One fan took to Twitter to offer his rendition of Billy Porter auditioning for Madame Morrible, and became a viral star in the process, NBC News reported.
"With only two of the roles officially cast" as of yet, NBC News detailed, a 33-year-old Los Angeles actor named Calvin Seabrooks served up an impeccable performance on multiple social media platforms, with the clip quickly rocketing toward half a million views.
"Seabrooks tackled the character's introduction to 'The Wizard and I,' performing the tune while doing a spot-on impression of Porter," NBC News said.
When the response went stratospheric, Seabrooks delivered a sequel.
"This time in the clip, which has well over 200,000 cumulative views, Seabrooks took on 'I'm Not That Girl', a song "originally sung by Elphaba in the musical," said NBC news.
"The actor put Porter's spin on the tender tune," the article read, "using a spot-on inflection and downright hilarious runs to perfect the rendition of the tune."
Twitter went wild for the clips, with some who responded recalling Porter's role in the movie version of "Cinderella" while others showed their support for the idea of Porter joining the cast of the upcoming "Wicked" screen adaptation.
"His vocals are next level," Seabrooks told NBC News, going on to note that "He has such an incredible, unique, really raspy tone, and there's just certain things that he does that are just so uniquely Billy Porter."
"The incredible things that he's given to me, just in being able to see an incredible Black, queer, femme performer...he's such an icon to me," Seabrooks went on to add.
Interest in the movie's casting hit an immediate fever pitch when news broke on Nov. 5 that the film's leads have been cast, with Ariana Grande set to play Glinda and Cynthia Erivo signed to play Elphaba.
Rather than speculating about (or lobbying for) actors to fill other roles, some fans hastened to send a message about who they don't want to see cast in the "Wicked" film adaptation. As previously reported at EDGE, a petition went up over the weekend on Change.org addressing executives at Universal, the studio producing the adaptation: "James Corden in no way shape or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie...that's pretty much it."
Ouch!