‘Wicked’ star Marissa Bode calls out ‘harmful’ ableist comments about her character’s disability

Marissa Bode is addressing the derogatory comments made about her “Wicked” character.

Marissa Bode is addressing the derogatory comments made about her “Wicked” character.

Bode, who portrays the character Nessarose, the younger sister of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, posted a five-minute long video to her TikTok slamming the slew of negative comments she’s received since the film premiered on Nov. 22.

Despite enjoying seeing the outpouring of the love for the movie, Bode said there were reactions that made her feel “a bit uncomfortable.”

Marissa Bode and Cynthia Erivo in a scene from the film "Wicked."Giles Keyte / Universal PicturesIn the video, Bode, who uses a wheelchair in real life and on screen, acknowledged that she is biased when it comes to her feelings about her own character. She said it was “totally fine” to make jokes about Nessarose’s actions or personality because she is a fictional character. 

But, Bode explained, she was not OK with “aggressive comments and jokes about Nessa’s disability,” calling the messages “deeply uncomfortable because disability is not fictional.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/wicked-marissa-bode-addresses-ableist-comments-rcna182349

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