Surrey Pilates Instructor Plays Dorothy Gale in ‘Wicked: For Good’ After Identity Kept Secret

The iconic role of Dorothy Gale is played by a Surrey-based Pilates instructor in Wicked: For Good, it has been revealed.

Producers of the sequel film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba chose to keep her identity a secret for months.

But she is in fact played by 30-year-old Bethany Weaver – who features for only 69 seconds and says a total of six words, reports The Sun.

Dorothy is a fictional character created by author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his Oz novels. 

She first appears in Baum’s classic 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels. 

She will be back for viewers and appear with other iconic characters like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.

Bethany’s face however is never shown in the upcoming film and her identity was kept a secret, with her not attending any of the premieres or press events.

Explaining the decision to not show her, director Jon M Chu said: ‘I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with.

‘The sequel is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.’

Cynthia added of the choice: ‘I think that’s such a wonderful thing to do because then everyone gets to keep the Dorothy they know.’

Bethany trained at The Urdang Academy in London and has a host of theatre jobs under her belt as well as her day job as a Pilates instructor.

Cynthia and Ariana have been busy promoting the new film all around the world in recent weeks.

And on Monday Cynthia spoke out about the terrifying moment Ariana was ambushed by a troll during Wicked’s Singapore premiere last week. 

Last Thursday, the duo hit the red carpet at the premiere for Wicked: For Good, the sequel to last year’s movie based on the famous stage show, during which Ariana, who plays Glinda, was ambushed by a self-professed ‘troll’. 

A terrified Ariana was struck by Johnson Wen, who stormed the red carpet, leading to an incensed Cynthia, who plays Elphaba, overtaking security and pushing him away. Johnson has since been given nine days jail time for the act. 

Cynthia and Ariana appeared at a special Screen Actors Guild screening in Los Angeles on Saturday, during which the former spoke about how the movie helps make people ‘feel safe’ – before giving a nod to last week’s ordeal. 

She said: ‘I mean, f**k, even this last week. Let’s be honest, for f**k’s sakes, we’ve had to really deal with some stuff, and this movie has allowed us to really grow as people, as friends, as sisters, as artists, as actresses.’

Last week, Johnson – the online prankster known as Pyjama Man – blew past security at Universal Studios and latched onto Ariana, wrapping an arm around her as she struggled to pull away – prior to Cynthia’s lightning speed reactions. 

Cynthia immediately jumped in, shouting at Wen while throwing herself between him and Grande as security tackled the intruder and dragged him off. Ariana was left visibly shaken on the carpet.

Hours later, Wen uploaded a chilling selfie with manic eyes, pointing at a Grande poster and bragging, ‘I finally met Ariana Grande tonight.’

Despite continuing of their tireless promo trail, Ariana and Cynthia were yet to reference the attack, before Cynthia’s heartfelt speech. 

On the magic of Wicked, she said: ‘What’s even more wonderful is the fact that there are other people who have seen themselves in this movie, in that character, and also now see themselves and feel safe…

‘That, for me, is the pinnacle of what I could ever wish for from any piece of work I have ever done. And I am so glad that in order to do it, I had to look into the eyes of this person beside me…

‘We have come through some stuff in our lives, in our daily workings…

‘I mean, f**k, even this last week. Let’s be honest, for f**k’s sakes, we’ve had to really deal with some stuff, and this movie has allowed us to really grow as people, as friends, as sisters, as artists, as actresses.’

After the ambush, Cynthia’s reactions earned her a flood of memes after she rescued Ariana when she was on hand to pull her from the ensuing melee, with many fans comparing her actions to those of Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. 

Taking to Instagram on Friday morning, fans heaped praise on the British actress for risking her own safety while assisting her co-star.