- - The “Wicked: For Good” details you may have missed as Boq transformed into Tin Man

Patrick GomezDecember 26, 2025 at 4:00 AM

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Boq (Ethan Slater) after turning into the Tin Man in 'Wicked: For Good'

In the age of CGI, the Wicked team kept effects as practical as possible — particularly when designing the final look for Boq (Ethan Slater), who transforms into Tin Man in Wicked: For Good.

"We had the most wonderful, finest prosthetics, so it would never ever take away the person," says hair and makeup department head Frances Hannon, who worked with prosthetics makeup designer Mark Coulier on the project. "We wanted you drawn completely to the emotion of the character, not removed because of the visuals."

That said, Hannon and team — who were Oscar-nominated for their work on the first Wicked movie and have made the shortlist for the second — put thought behind every detail that they expect (or hope?) you won’t even notice until repeat viewings.

Boq’s evolution begins even before his metallic transformation. "He's in that very tight uniform, and his hair is really compressed," Hannon says of the Munchkin living under the oppression of Nessarose (Marissa Bode). "Everything about him is trapped." (Slater has said the hair extensions he wore as Boq sometimes took up to 5 hours to put in.)

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) transforms Boq into the Tin Man to save his life after Nessarose misreads the Grimmerie spell book while trying to cast a love spell on him.

When he's turned into the Tin Man, "we used everything metal within that room when the spell was happening," she explains. "The grill of the fireplace is part of his little heart. The jug handles, salt and pepper shakers — everything metal was transferred to the person."

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It was key that, through the prosthetics, "you still can see every part of his performance coming through,” says Hannon, who went beyond applying metallic makeup to help tell Boq’s story.

During the "March of the Witch Hunters" scene, "his tears are running and leave little rust lines."

Someone better have an oil can handy!

A version of this story appears in a special Awardist 2026 Kickoff print edition.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”