What you need to know
Last year, Jon M. Chu missed the premiere of Wicked to attend the birth of his fifth child. This year, she appeared on the red carpet with him!
On Monday, November 17, the 46-year-old Wicked director attended the premiere of Wicked: For Good in New York City with his family of seven, including his and wife Christine Hodge’s latest film, 1-year-old daughter Stevie Skye, and it was a full-circle moment to say the least.
Just over a year ago, Chu was unable to attend the Los Angeles premiere of her first Wicked movie to witness the birth of her child.
Chew and Hodge not only brought Stevie to the premiere, but also their four other children (Willow, 8, Ruby, 4, Jonathan Heights, 5, and Iggy, 2), three of whom were born during the making of Wicked.
The couple’s daughters wore pink tulle dresses in honor of Wicked character Glinda (Ariana Grande), one of whom carried a glowing cane, while their sons wore green dresses in honor of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). The director, on the other hand, kept things more neutral with a gray suit and black shirt. His wife also wore black, but added a nod to the Good Witch with pale pink shoes.
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Last November, Chu revealed in an Instagram Story post why she missed a star-studded event in Los Angeles. In a message accompanied by a photo of a Defy Gravity friendship bracelet on a hospital table, he began: “This movie has always moved me in a strange way.”
“Today is the day I’ve dreamed of for a long time. I’m having two babies at once (a movie and a little girl) and I couldn’t be happier,” she continued, before revealing that she would “not be able to attend” the Nov. 9 premiere due to a “scheduling” at 4 a.m.
“Instead, my wife and I will be welcoming a fifth child into our family,” he wrote, before jokingly adding, “No, the couple will not name her Galfaba,” after Grande and Erivo’s Wicked characters.
“Sending all my love to the incredibly talented cast and crew tonight,” Chu concluded his message, before sharing a sweet message about his fifth child and Wicked cast members Grande, Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Marissa Bode.
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“They deserve it and I’m giving them a little extra welcome as my little girl bursts her bubble and is about to come into our world,” he added. “If she can have a fraction of the courage that my wives @cynthiaerivo, @arianagrande, @michelleyeoh_official, and @marissa_edob have, she too will defy gravity one day.”
In another Instagram Story post, Ms Chu joked about not being able to wear her premiere look, writing: “Should I only wear a suit when giving birth?”
A few days later, the director appeared on Today and revealed that he was watching the LA premiere on a livestream during the birth of his daughter.
“I was watching the premiere stream while the baby was born,” he said at the time. “Literally, the baby was born while the movie was playing at the premiere.”
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Wicked: For Good will premiere in theaters on Friday, November 21st.
