Ethan Slater landing the role of Boq in 'Wicked' has an element of magic to it

You could say that Ethan Slater's yellow brick road to getting cast in the big screen adaptation of “Wicked” had an element of magic to it.

On the day he was asked to submit a tape of himself for the role of Boq, Slater was playing the part of actor Christopher Fitzgerald's identical twin in a table read for a potential musical. Fitzgerald originated the role of Boq in “Wicked” on Broadway. “I didn’t tell him about it ‘cause I didn’t want to explain when I didn’t get it,'” admitted Slater. Instead, he marked the occasion by asking Fitzgerald to take a selfie with him for seemingly no reason, which he still has.

After getting the job, Slater was determined to master the delicate dance of keeping the essence of Fitzgerald in a role that was now his.

“I look up to him so much,” Slater said of Fitzgerald. “I wanted to honor the Boq he created who’s just, like, a burst of energy. But I also wanted to make him my own because I could never be Chris Fitzgerald. He's too singular and too amazing. It would be a fool’s errand to try to be him.”

In turn, Fitzgerald, who has seen the film, gave Slater's performance a glowing review. Slater says he plans to print and frame a text message that Fitzgerald sent him afterward.

“Ethan has this perfect balance of soulfulness and funny bones as an actor,” Fitzgerald said in an email to the AP. “His Boq is earnest, daffy, and generous of heart. It was such a pleasure and a gift to watch a pal use the spirit of something that’s come before and spin it into something new and wholly original. He is Boq.”

“Wicked” is a prequel to the events of “Wizard of Oz.” It stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Jonathan Bailey plays a prince, Fiyero, who encounters Glinda and Elphaba at school.

The story was conceived by Gregory Macguire for a novel called “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.”

Slater says filming the big-budget movie directed by Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians" and “In the Heights”) actually felt much smaller. At its heart, the cast is just a bunch of theater kids who love to perform.

“I keep quoting Johnny Bailey who said while we were shooting, ‘it just feels like a student film until suddenly it doesn’t,'" said Slater.

Erivo, Grande, Bailey and Slater all come from a musical theater background. In 2018, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his leading performance in “SpongeBob SquarePants" on Broadway. He was also in the revival of “Spamalot" in 2023.

“We all cared so much. We cared in the way that theater kids care and want to protect this show and want the opportunity to do it. It was really, really joyful and familial," said Slater.

Because the experience was so magical, Slater said the actors find themselves reminiscing even when they're not promoting it.

“Going to dinner last night, we were all still talking about ‘Wicked,’ and it’s like another theater kid thing, you know, hyper-fixating on this thing that we love so much," he said.

The actors sang live on set which Slater said makes for a better performance.

“You are using your voice in the same way from scene into song, into scene. And there’s no break at all. You’re not thinking about syncing. You’re not thinking about dubbing later. You’re just performing it," he said.

“Wicked,” premiering Nov. 22, will be released in two parts. The second film is scheduled for a November 2025 debut.

Slater recognizes that breaking up the film is a “controversial decision.”

"I empathize with that, but when you see this movie, I think it’s a really full movie with a beginning, middle and end. You get to know these characters and love these characters. I think the first thing you’re going to want to do is watch the movie a second time. I’m on pins and needles waiting for the second one."

On screen, Boq has an unrequited crush on Glinda. Off screen, Slater and Grande are a couple in real life.

“Her fans are going to be blown away," he said. "Anybody who’s a fan of Ariana knows how talented she is. They know that she has, you know, one of the best voices, of our generation — or ever — and can do anything with it. I think that her acting is like above and beyond. It’s incredible. Her comedy is ridiculous."

Slater also stars in the film “Lost on a Mountain in Maine," now in theaters. And he's developing “a really beautiful play about humanity” where he would star as French mime Marcel Marceau.

“The thing in theater is you can’t really celebrate it until opening night and then you really shouldn’t until it closes either. But we’re really excited about its future, and hopefully there will be more news about it soon.”

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ethan Slater arrives at the premiere of "Wicked" on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Ethan Slater arrives at the premiere of "Wicked" on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Ethan Slater poses for a portrait on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

President Donald Trump made a lot of tariff threats and trade promises this year. Many materialized into a barrage of new import taxes that overturned decades of U.S. economic policy — but others have yet to be fulfilled as 2025 comes to a close.

Some of Trump’s unrealized threats reflect a broader approach from a president with a track record of using sky-high levies to pressure other countries into new trade deals, one-up retaliatory measures or even punish political critics. At the same time, they arrived as growing list of tariffs did go into effect — from Trump's punishing new taxes on imported metals, to tit-for-tat levies with top U.S. trading partners like China — plunging consumers and businesses worldwide into uncertainty.

Here’s what Trump said when announcing some of his biggest (but still unrealized) tariff threats and promises this year, and where things stand today.

In his words:

What happened: The External Revenue Service has yet to be established as of the end of December. While administration officials continued to reiterate plans for launching the External Revenue Service during Trump's first months back in office, the entity does not yet exist.

In his words:

What happened: The EU's planned levy on American whiskey — which it unveiled as part of broader retaliation in response to Trump's new steel and aluminum tariffs — was postponed, with the latest delay reportedly running until at least February.

Trump's 200% tariff threat on European alcohol never materialized. But spirits were not included in the EU-U.S. trade deal struck over the summer, which set a 15% rate on most European imports.

In his words:

What happened: Despite Trump's repeated threats, the U.S. has yet to impose a 100% tariff on foreign films. After his initial May promise to initiate the process, the White House said no final decision had been made. Also still unclear is how the U.S. would tax a movie made overseas.

In his words:

What happened: The president did not sign an executive order imposing a 100% tariff on pharma products on Oct. 1 and, as of today, no levy has been put into place. But Trump previously suggested that steep levies on pharmaceutical drugs could arrive further down the road, telling CNBC in August that he would start by charging a “small tariff” and potentially raise the rate as high as 250%. Meanwhile, trade agreements with specific countries set their own rates or exemptions — with the U.K., for example, securing a 0% tariff on all British medicine exported to the U.S. for three years. The administration also announced deals with specific companies with promises of lower drug prices.

In his words:

What happened: A sweeping 100% on computer chips has yet to go into effect. When announcing his plans to impose the levy back in August, Trump was not specific about the timing. And other details have remained scarce.

In his words:

What happened: Details about how, when and if a tariff dividend will reach Americans are still scarce. Budget experts have said that the math doesn't add up. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that it might not mean checks from the government. Instead, Bessent told ABC in November, the rebate might take the form of tax cuts. White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett also told CBS News that it's up to Congress.

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, on April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)