Podcast Summary: Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club

Episode: "The Wizard Behind Wicked: For Good with Director Jon M. Chu"

Host: Danielle Robay (iHeartPodcasts & Hello Sunshine)
Guest: Jon M. Chu (Film Director)
Release Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This rich and lively episode welcomes acclaimed director Jon M. Chu, the creative mind behind Wicked: For Good (the film adaptation of the musical’s Act II), as well as Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and more. Host Danielle Robay guides a warm, insightful conversation exploring Chu’s storytelling philosophy, creative process, handling of artistic legacy, and the resonances between books, musicals, and films. The discussion delves into how Wicked remains timely, complexities of adaptation, representation, identity, and the emotional heart of storytelling on and off the page.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Enduring Power and Responsibility of Storytelling

• Jon M. Chu reflects on the true purpose of stories:
  • “I used to think that stories are escape and I think there's an element of that. But I actually think the job of a story is to take you out of your life but land you back at home.” (Jon M. Chu, 04:11)
• He sees storytellers as carrying a deep responsibility:
  • Chu discusses the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) not as just a villain, but a storyteller “gone too far… And then what point do you have a responsibility to the world that you're creating through your stories?” (05:44)

2. Fairy Tales, the American Dream, and Intergenerational Hope

• Chu’s personal connection to the American Dream:
  • As the son of immigrants, growing up in his family's Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley, Jon credits “generosity by people and goodness of people” for fueling his dreams—proof the dream “does exist… fairy tales can exist. Maybe the way in which we tell these stories can shift.” (07:19)

3. Adapting Wicked: Navigating Layers of Legacy

• On the Complications of Adaptation:

  • The film is based on the musical, which is based on the novel (Wicked by Gregory Maguire), itself riffing on The Wizard of Oz, based on Baum’s book. Chu describes stepping into a “century of creative interpretation.” (11:06)
  • “It is the hallmark of a timeless story that it is always timely.” (Jon M. Chu, 11:42)
  • Each adaptation reflects cultural anxieties of its time—Baum’s novel at the turn of the century, Maguire’s post-9/11, Chu’s film made during COVID. (12:54)

• The film’s relevance to today:

  • “Home didn’t feel like home. It felt like a strange place all of a sudden… Those questions became very relevant to me.” (13:10)
  • “The only reason to make this now is to speak to the times that we're in.” (14:52)

4. Artistic Choices: What to Keep, What to Change

• Translating Internal Monologue into Cinema:

  • Movie musicals’ unique power is to make the internal external through song, music, and movement. (16:15)
  • “One note can communicate what a paragraph never could... The way someone leans on a microphone says a lot... So you get movement. And that's not just dance. That's posture.” (16:15)

• Casting and Character Reinvention:

  • On Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande—how their specific histories, identities, and artistry radically reframe the characters of Elphaba and Glinda.
  • “The moment [Cynthia] sang was unlike an Elphaba I had ever seen before... That little thing is just like everything. So to me, that's so different than Idina. Like, it's just a different interpretation...” (Jon M. Chu, 33:24–36:09)

5. Deep Questions Raised by Wicked: For Good

• Why fight for a home that may not want you?
  • Chu relates Elphaba’s journey to his own experiences, and to universal immigrant dilemmas: “Wouldn't she wonder, like, what happens to a place that thinks you're the bad guy?... That is the question that's at the core of Elphaba.” (25:04)
• Chu’s direction of emotional scenes:
  • The song “No Place Like Home” holds personal resonance—he draws from his own family ties, sense of belonging, and disappointment in the “America that I believe in with all my heart… breaks my heart that we can't be everything that I thought we were.” (28:03)

6. Mediums and Personal Storytelling

• Storytelling Beyond the Screen:
  • Discusses his memoir Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen—navigating between visual storytelling (film) and internal, structural writing (books). (44:09)
  • “Writing a book was... so different than anything I had ever done before. It made me realize that reading a book is a different mental state... it's an active experience happening.” (47:59)
• Influence of Family:
  • Charming anecdote: Jon’s mom prodded him to direct Step Up 2 when he was wavering, telling him, “Are you a storyteller or are you not? If you're a storyteller, you should be able to tell a story in any medium.” (46:13)

7. Craft, Identity, and Advice for Aspiring Storytellers

• Finding your voice and medium:
  • “If you are a storyteller, what is the medium in which your storytelling is best at? And also it can evolve over time.” (50:43)
  • On recognizing his own story’s worth: “The thing that I have found the most power in my storytelling is that I have been telling myself a story my whole life, that one day I'm going to do this and that. And, oh, this is a tough moment. I feel like I'm on the bottom. But you know what? This is going to be a great chapter in my book.” (52:24)
• On synesthesia and auras:
  • Chu shares his quirky creative side—he sees people’s aura colors but isn’t sure what it means. “I just see colors when asked to see it… if you actually look and you got adjust your eyes and then you can kind of see it. So I don’t know what it means.” (54:28)

8. Rapid Fire ‘Bookmarked’ Questions (55:32–56:59)

• Favorite books and influences:
  • Elphaba’s bedside table: “The Great Gatsby.” (Jon M. Chu, 55:40)
  • Most grateful book: “My Broken Language” by Quiara Alegría Hudes. (55:45)
  • Favorite biography: “Steve Jobs” and Build by Tony Fadell. (55:53)
  • Favorite fictional love story: “The Great Gatsby.” (56:17)
  • Favorite musical staging: “Hamilton.” (56:24)
  • Favorite page-to-screen adaptation: “Jurassic Park.” (56:33)
  • Favorite fictional friendship: “Wicked.” (56:44)
  • Book for aspiring filmmakers: Chu cheekily plugs his own memoir, Viewfinder. (56:51)
  • Most-gifted book: “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.” (57:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Wizard as a complicated villain:
  “Maybe he's a storyteller that's just gone too far... at some point, we have to wake up and know that our stories affect the world that we live in.” (Jon M. Chu, 05:44)

• On maintaining optimism and the possibility of dreams:
  “If I can survive and I can flourish, then 100%, that I'm proof that the dream is still alive and that fairy tales can exist.” (Jon M. Chu, 07:19)

• On adapting a timeless tale:
  “It is the hallmark of a timeless story that it is always timely.” (Jon M. Chu, 11:42)

• On crafting “No Place Like Home”:
  “Why do I love this place that never loved me? … I think there's a difference between intention and completion. And we can't at this moment have a completion of the idea. It has to be cut off by the troubles of the present...” (Jon M. Chu, 27:04)

• Advice from his mother:
  “Are you a storyteller or are you not? If you're a storyteller, you should be able to tell a story in any medium… Show yourself that you can actually tell your story in this.” (Jon M. Chu, 46:13)

• On movement between mediums:
  “If you are a storyteller, what is the medium in which your storytelling is best at? And also it can evolve over time.” (Jon M. Chu, 50:43)

• Favorite quote from L. Frank Baum used in the film:
  “If we walk far enough, we shall sometime come to some place.” (Jon M. Chu, 36:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Introduction: [03:47–04:54]
• Who is the Wizard? Artistic Responsibility: [05:14–07:17]
• Belief in Fairy Tales, Personal Story & The American Dream: [07:17–08:44]
• Complexities of Adapting “Wicked”: [11:06–14:43]
• Making the Internal External — Music & Movement: [16:10–18:20]
• Deleted Scene with Jonathan Bailey: [18:22–19:17]
• Choice & Consequences in “Wicked: For Good”: [24:43–27:48]
• Directorial Emotion: [28:03–30:44]
• Adapting Iconic Characters: [32:55–36:49]
• ‘Bookmarked’ Rapid Fire Segment: [55:32–57:09]
• Memoir & Advice: [44:09–52:24]
• Closing Reflections: [57:10–59:44]

Conclusion

This episode offers a deep, personal, and often inspiring window into the mind of Jon M. Chu: a filmmaker shaped by family, heritage, and the ever-shifting power of story. Whether musing on America’s promises, explaining the mechanics behind screen musicals, or sharing his mother’s blunt wisdom, Chu embodies the spirit of a modern storyteller, keenly aware of both his influences and the responsibility of shaping myth for the next generation. His vision for Wicked: For Good is one of timely resonance and personal transformation—a story built, like all the best fairy tales, to speak to both the moment and the timeless heart.