Sheryl Lee Ralph wished she had been asked to play Madame Morrible in the Wicked film.

The 68-year-old actress-and-singer starred as the headmistress of Shiz University in the Broadway production of the musical from 2016 until 2017.

Sheryl told People: "One of the greatest times I've had onstage was playing Madame Morrible in Wicked on Broadway.

"And I have no regrets, but I just wish they had asked me to play [Madame Morrible] in the film!

"But that's all right, it wasn't mine to have, but it's OK."

However, the Emmy winner loved 63-year-old Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh's performance of Madame Morrible in the 2024 musical-fantasy film, directed by 45-year-old filmmaker Jon M. Chu.

Sheryl added: "I thought she did a wonderful job. Everybody brings their own special flavour to these roles.

"My flavour is what I bring, and she brought what she brought, and it's wonderful."

The star also praised Cynthia Erivo, 38, as Elphaba Thropp, Ariana Grande, 32, as Glinda Upland, and Jonathan Bailey, 37, as Fiyero Tigelaar.

Sheryl said: "And that all adds to the movie. I love Cynthia, I adore Ariana, and Jonathan Bailey, I swoon. So I'm loving it all."

And Sheryl encouraged people to go and watch Wicked when it was released in November.

She said on Instagram at the time: "This is your reminder to go see #Wicked this weekend!

"I had such a wonderful time playing Madame Morrible on Broadway years ago.

"You do not want to miss @michelleyeoh_official giving a marvelous performance in this film! (sic)"

Ariana has previously said she has seen Wicked - which has won an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA film gong - about "10" times.

In December 2024, the star told The Hollywood Reporter: "I lost count. I think I'm at 10.

"When I saw it with my nonna in Florida, I did check my phone a few times, and my mom was like, 'Ariana, get off your phone!'

"And I was like, 'Mommy, not only have I seen it, but I'm in it!' I was like, 'I know what happens here. I think I can quickly check what was just sent to me!' She's like, 'Ariana, you're talking!'"

Ariana and her fellow cast members will return for Wicked: For Good - the upcoming blockbuster, which follows on from the events of 2024's Wicked, and will introduce the young girl from Kansas as she embarks on her journey down the Yellow Brick Road.

And Chu insisted the movie - which is set to be released in November 2025 - will be "delicate" with Dorothy Gale and will have a more prominent arrival in the flick than she does in the stage play on which Wicked: For Good is based.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in June about Dorothy and her crew's walk down the Yellow Brick Road, Chu said: "That intersection is the place that we were first introduced to Oz.

"We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does."

He added: "We're delicate. We're delicate. We're delicate."

The Crazy Rich Asians director emphasised Wicked: For Good is more about the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda than it is about Dorothy - who was famously portrayed by Judy Garland in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.

He explained: "I think the meat of what 'Wicked' is all about happens in movie two. To me, this is why this story exists.

"This is where our childhood dreams collide with our adult selves."