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Why “Defying Gravity” was so hard to adapt
In a November 22, 2024 interview with io9’s Germain Lussier, Chu said he had wanted to adapt the musical since seeing it in early 2003, before its Broadway opening. Of all the moments in the show, he most wanted to bring “Defying Gravity” to the screen. The sequence’s importance made the adaptation especially demanding: it closes Act One of the stage musical and serves as the finale of the first film, while the larger story continues later.
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Chu summarized the challenge as finding the right balance for the number: “It was hell on Earth.” His explanation was about the work of shaping the scene and its emotional effect, not a claim that filming was literally dangerous or that every part of the production was difficult. Read Lussier’s io9 interview with Chu.
The visual challenge: make the flight expansive without losing Elphaba
The flight asks for spectacle, but spectacle alone would not carry the song. Chu said the filmmakers tried many versions, working out when the image should open up to convey the scale of Elphaba rising and when it should stay close enough to keep viewers connected to her. The camera’s point of view had to make the flight exciting while preserving the character’s emotional experience.
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The words were central to that choice. Chu said, “Because the power of those words, the brilliance of [songwriter] Steven Schwartz is in the specificity of those lyrics.” In his account, the scene could not treat the song as a generic anthem laid over a grand image; its visual scale had to serve what Elphaba was saying and feeling.
The emotional challenge: a triumph that is also a separation
Chu described the number as a breakup between Elphaba and Galinda. Elphaba’s invitation for Galinda to come with her carries the pain of an impending separation, even as Elphaba claims the power to choose her own path. The scene therefore has to hold conflicting emotions: exhilaration, loss, and the cost of leaving.
Chu also framed Elphaba’s flight as an act of self-rescue, saying, “She had to save herself for that little girl in herself.” That inner motivation helps explain why the scene needed to remain emotionally close to Elphaba even as the image expanded around her.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the number also had to finish a film
Because “Defying Gravity” ends the first film, Chu and the team had to make it work as more than a musical high point. It needed to provide a meaningful stopping place for this installment, account for the other characters, and leave the larger story open for the later film. That extra structural burden helps explain why the team kept testing different approaches: the sequence had to satisfy both the song’s dramatic demands and the shape of a feature-film ending.
The production break and return to filming
Lussier reported that filming the number was postponed during the writers’ and actors’ strikes and resumed after a long break. Chu said Cynthia Erivo had trained for a year for the stunts and vocal placement, then had to return to the sequence after six months away. He also said the cast had already been shooting for 160 days at that point. Those are production details Chu gave in the 2024 interview, not independently audited statistics.
Chu said, “We had to come back to do ‘Defying Gravity’ which was emotionally difficult for Cynthia and Ari.” The return meant revisiting a climactic sequence after an interruption, with the performers and production having to reconnect to its physical and emotional demands.
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