The For Good Details You May Have Missed When Boq Transformed into the Tin Man

In the age of CGI, Wicked The team kept the effects as practical as possible, especially when designing the final look of Boq (Ethan Slater), who transforms into the Tin Man in Villain: for good.

“We had the most wonderful, exquisite prosthetics, so it would never take away from the person,” says hair and makeup department head Frances Hannon, who worked with prosthetic makeup artist Mark Coulier on the project. “We wanted you to be completely drawn in by the emotion of the character, not suppressed because of the visuals.”

That said, Hannon and his team – who received an Oscar nomination for their work on the first Wicked film and made the shortlist for the second – think about every detail they expect (or hope?) that you won’t even notice until repeat viewings.

Boq’s evolution begins even before his metallic transformation. “He wears this really tight uniform and his hair is really compressed,” Hannon says of the Munchkins living under the oppression of Nessarose (Marissa Bode). “Everything about him is trapped.” (Slater 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 became the Tin Man, “we used up all the metal in that room when the spell happened,” she explains. “The fireplace grate is part of his little heart. The handles of the pitchers, the salt and pepper shakers, everything made of metal has been transferred to the person.”

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It was essential that, thanks to the prosthetics, “you could still see every part of his performance shining through,” says Hannon, who went beyond applying metallic makeup to help tell Boq’s story.

During the “Witch Hunters’ March” scene, “her tears flow and leave little traces of rust.”

Someone better have a can of oil handy!

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