Michelle Yeoh is “in shock,” but “not surprised” that “Wicked: For Good” was snubbed by the Academy.
“It’s such a beautiful, well-made movie… So I was truly, truly very disappointed,” the actress, who played Madame Morrible in both parts of the “Wicked” film adaptation, told Variety on Thursday ahead of receiving the Honorary Golden Bear at the 76th Annual Berlin International Film Festival.
“I think sometimes the problem is that people think, ‘Oh, you already got so much with the first one, let other people have a chance.’ But then it feels like, ‘No, come on!” Yeoh continued. “It’s such a beautiful, well-made movie.”
The first “Wicked” film received 10 nominations at the 2025 Oscars, winning for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
But the sequel got blanked by the Academy this year.
Even lead stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were left out of the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, respectively, after their joint 2025 nominations.
Yeoh, 63, told Variety that “Wicked 2” deserved nominations, especially in the creative categories.
“Paul [Tazewell] for costume design, hair and makeup. If you compare it [with contenders this year] it should be there,” she stated. “For Jon Chu, for [cinematographer] Alice Brooks, for the set design.”
“It’s not the replica of the first one. It’s more elaborate and there are many more new destinations in ‘Wicked: For Good,’” Yeoh added.
Yeoh previously won the Best Actress Oscar in 2023 for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She was the first Asian winner in the category.
The 2026 Oscar nominations were unveiled Jan. 22, with “Sinners,” One Battle After Another,” “Frankenstein, “Marty Supreme” and “Sentimental Value” receiving the most love from the Academy.
An anonymous Oscar voter told NewsNation last month that they were “completely turned off” by Grande and Erivo’s “promotional performances.”
“They creeped a lot of people out and in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying,” the Academy member said.
Another voter claimed the two actresses “sucked the air out of any red carpet they were on — and no one wanted to go through that again.”
Grande, 32, and Erivo, were involved in numerous cringeworthy moments during the press tours for both films, including the viral “holding space” meme.
They were also teased for describing each other’s auras and touching each other on red carpets and in interviews.
Neither actress has addressed the sequel’s Oscars snub.
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