Fresh Air – ‘Wicked’ Costume Designer Paul Tazewell

Host: Tonya Mosley (NPR)
Guest: Paul Tazewell
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tonya Mosley sits down with Oscar, Tony, and Emmy-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell, acclaimed for his work on Hamilton, West Side Story, and most recently, the Wicked film adaptations. The discussion focuses on Tazewell's creative vision for “Wicked for Good”—the sequel film set after the events of the first Wicked movie—and his pioneering approach to storytelling through costume design, especially as the first Black man to win the Academy Award for costume design for his work on Wicked.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tazewell’s Historic Oscar Win and Its Significance

• Award Moment

  • Tazewell reflects on becoming the first Black man to win the Oscar for costume design because of Wicked.
  • [01:11] Paul Tazewell:

    “I’m the first black man to receive the costume design award for my work on Wicked. I’m so proud of this.”

• He describes the experience as “out of body”—noting his theatrical training didn’t prepare him for that level of public attention and gratitude.

• The Impact of Visibility

  • Mosley observes how few behind-the-scenes artists become household names; Tazewell’s high-profile projects have changed that, making the designer himself a storytelling force.

The Storytelling Power of Costumes in Wicked for Good

• Visual Narrative Through Costuming

  • Tazewell explains that his role is that of a silent storyteller, providing context and depth to characters through clothing choices.

  • [04:47] Paul Tazewell:

    “I see my work as a costume designer to be one of a storyteller… telling a silent story that reveals itself adjacent to the performances of the characters.”

• Elphaba’s Evolution

  • The continuation of Elphaba’s wardrobe—her weathered dress and coat—signifies her exile, activism, and transformation.

  • The decision to keep her in the same, increasingly tattered costume underscores her isolation and the practicalities of her life in hiding.

• Glinda’s Transformation

  • Glinda is seen in blue and lavender, a departure from her signature pink, signaling her own evolution into Oz’s new "face".

Designing Across Two Films, and the Importance of Planning the Character Arc

• Simultaneous Shooting Challenges

  • Both Wicked films were shot at the same time, mirroring a stage musical’s arc. Tazewell had to plot each character’s full journey visually from the outset for consistency and growth.

  • [08:18] Paul Tazewell:

    “It was about clothing and style and how the different groups… help to define each other… I needed to make a world that would be plausible within itself.”

Elphaba’s Signature Style and the Symbolism of Black

• Why Trousers for Elphaba?

  • Inspired by Cynthia Erivo’s casting and previous collaborations, Tazewell chose trousers to promote movement, agility, and empowerment for Elphaba—differentiating her physically and thematically.

  • [09:34] Paul Tazewell:

    “The ability to move allowed for her to navigate the world in a way that was more expansive than being in a skirt and jacket all the time…”

• Wearing Black: Protection and Otherness

  • Elphaba’s black attire both references mourning her mother and operates as emotional armor; a parallel to many young people who use dress to signify difference or seek protection.

  • The black costume becomes visually rich against Oz’s colorful world, imbuing it with texture and narrative depth.

    “When she’s side-by-side with Glinda, who’s always in pink or light tones… I made the decision that there had to be balance.”
    — Paul Tazewell [12:08]

  • Casting Erivo—herself a Black woman—deepens the narrative, turning Elphaba’s “othering” into a direct commentary on race and belonging.

The “Sex Cardigan” Scene and Organic Costuming

• Intimate Costuming for Key Scenes

  • Fans dubbed Elphaba’s oversized gray sweater the “sex cardigan.” Tazewell explains the choice was rooted in realism and self-sufficiency.

  • [13:34] Paul Tazewell:

    “When you put someone in a sweater… you’re creating, you know, many connections… Maybe it’s a hand-knit sweater—a connection to whoever made it... there’s comfort.”

  • The costume reflects Elphaba’s practicality and context, crafting her own garments for comfort rather than for seduction.

  • [14:49] “It’s operating as her robe for that moment and for her in exile… she’s manifesting all these things from the elements that are around her.”
    — Paul Tazewell

Early Influences & Family History

• Childhood and Craft

  • Watching the 1939 Wizard of Oz was an annual, magical, visual tradition in Tazewell’s Ohio household.

  • Early exposure to crafts and sewing (taught by his mother) led to making his own clothes, puppets, and costumes.

• Visuals of Respectability and Black Identity

  • Family photographs and stories from the Civil Rights era influenced Tazewell’s sense of presentation, dignity, and the power of dress as “armor”.

  • [27:15] “They were dressing to armor themselves up for the world... you put forward your dignity by what you’re wearing on your body. And that became a really powerful message for me.” — Paul Tazewell

Personal Style and Parallels with Elphaba

• Uniform, Intentional Fashion

  • Tazewell prefers simple, uniform dressing (often black or navy), directing his creative energy toward his work while wearing clothing as purposeful “armor”.

  • Parallels are drawn between his introverted, intentional style and Elphaba’s black attire as both protection and self-expression.

Navigating Black Masculinity, Visibility & Gender Expression

• Hypervisibility as a Black Man

  • Tazewell reflects on the early age at which he felt hypervisible—being a Black man in predominantly white spaces, and how that shaped his consciousness around self-presentation.

  • Balancing interests considered "feminine" with societal expectations of Black masculinity provided him with unique insights into identity and image.

  • [31:49] “I was operating with two different things. One, it tended to be more feminine than masculine… I couldn’t get around being a Black boy. Navigating that… that informs why I’m doing what I’m doing…”

Career Journey: From Performer to Costume Designer

• First Creations and School Productions

  • As a teen, designing The Wiz for his magnet school (and also performing as the Wiz) made him realize the creative possibilities behind the scenes.

• Pivotal Choices in Early Adulthood

  • Moving to NYC, Tazewell originally pursued acting but found greater encouragement and success in design. At North Carolina School of the Arts, he committed to costume design:

    “As a designer, I could be anyone. I could live through that process of character development and what they would wear. I just wasn’t going to be on stage playing the role.”
    [40:17]

Breakouts: Broadway, Hamilton, and The Art of Visual Storytelling

• From Broadway to Hamilton

  • Tazewell debuted on Broadway in 1996, but his work on Hamilton (2015) brought global recognition. He discusses using color and silhouette to distinguish revolutionary figures from their British counterparts and to evoke both history and modernity.

  • Collaboration with director Thomas Kail (and Lin-Manuel Miranda) shaped the visual language connecting costume movement with musical emotion:

    “The extension of a costume or fabric from the body and how it connects to how the body moves is paramount for me, because you get an emotional result from that.”
    [43:16]

• Trial and Error in Design

  • Tazewell describes the iterative, research-focused process—from multiple attempts to get Elphaba’s hat “right” to building R&D into every design journey.

    “There are probably seven different versions of the Elphaba hat that I created... I wanted for it to be able to collapse… to be a very original version.” [46:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Race, Representation, and Storytelling

  • “It was the first time that a black woman had ever been cast in [Elphaba’s] role, which is surprising, because the whole point of the story is that she is being ostracized or vilified or othered because of the color of her skin.”
    — Paul Tazewell [12:08]

• On Family as Influence

  • “We were definitely surrounded within my family. I mean, my grandmother was a painter. My dad... loved model trains... They would take us to productions of musicals... so culture was really big.” [23:13]

• On The “Sex Cardigan”

  • “Why wasn’t it a black slinky peignoir? But where would she get—why would she have that? …It just follows through with reasonable choices that define who a character is.” [15:38]

• On Professional Uniform

  • “If I can have a uniform... I know what I’m gonna wear when I go out... lately it’s been a navy blue turtleneck and navy blue trousers. It’s tone on tone. I know that I can look good and not have to worry about being fashion forward.” [29:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oscar Win & Acceptance Speech: [01:11–03:52]
• Costume Storytelling in "Wicked for Good": [04:47–09:29]
• Designing Across Two Films (Continuity & World-building): [07:37–09:29]
• Elphaba's Black Attire, Character and Race: [09:34–13:12]
• The "Sex Cardigan" & Crafting Realism: [13:12–16:42]
• Family, Early Influences & the Language of Respectability: [17:05–27:15]
• Personal Style, Black Masculinity & Otherness: [29:00–33:18]
• First Design Projects, Leaving Akron, Choosing Costumes: [34:41–41:17]
• Hamilton & Visual Language on Broadway: [42:43–45:55]
• Design Process & Failures (notably Elphaba's hat): [46:03–47:24]

Conclusion

This episode offers a vivid look into how Paul Tazewell’s artistry, lived experience, and acute sense of history come together in his work, particularly in visually shaping beloved, culturally resonant worlds like Wicked and Hamilton. His costumes do more than clothe characters—they infuse the narrative with identity, memory, and a sense of possibility, paving the way for greater recognition of behind-the-scenes talents in film and theater.