We aren’t talking enough about Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard in ‘Wicked’

Jeff Goldblum, best-known for his roles in “Jurassic Park,” “The Fly” and “Independence Day,” among others, is now tackling a different kind of role: the Wizard in the movie-musical “Wicked.”
Based on the Tony award-winning musical of the same name, “Wicked” tells the backstories of — and unlikely friendship between — Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South.
The Wizard, portrayed as slightly duplicitous in “The Wizard of Oz,” is downright antagonistic in “Wicked” — and has a few musical numbers in the show, most notably the number “A Sentimental Man.”
Understandably, most of the buzz around “Wicked” has been around its leads, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, as well as British actor Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Bailey is best-known for his role in “Bridgerton.”
There’s been little talk about Goldblum as the Wizard, which is a bit strange considering that Goldblum isn’t known for his musical talent.
Fans might be surprised to learn that Goldblum is musically gifted — but not in the way they might expect.
When discussing accepting the role of the Wizard on “The Tonight Show,” Goldblum said it was a “slam dunk.”
He also praised director Jon M. Chu, as well the performances of his co-stars Grande and Erivo. “When (Grande and Erivo) sing … they rock the house. They’re deeply gifted,” Goldblum said.
Additionally, in an interview with Collider, Goldblum said that being in “Wicked” was “a dream come true.”
He said, “All these cast members, and (Jonathan Bailey), being with them, and trying to do something that we were all passionate about, you can’t get better than that. It’s just a dream come true.”
On the red carpet of the L.A. premiere of “Wicked,” Goldblum revealed why the film resonated with him deeply.
“I love what this movie is a about. The world must work for everyone, including every creature,” Goldblum told ExtraTV.
“And then when a couple of people … possessed … with the power of love unite, they can move the whole ship of state into a new direction,” he continued. “It’s a story for our time, I do believe.”
While Goldblum doesn’t often take roles that require him to sing, he can sing — and pretty passably.
Goldblum was required to do some singing during his stint on “Glee,” the musical comedy-drama about a high school glee club. Alongside broadway singer Brian Stokes Mitchell, Goldblum guest-starred as one of Rachel Berry’s (Lea Michelle) dads on the show, according to Playbill.
Goldblum did a little singing on “Glee,” but not much.
But that’s not to say that Goldblum isn’t musically talented — in fact, he has his own jazz ensemble.
Called The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, the ensemble was formed when Goldblum “took up a weekly residency playing jazz piano at the Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Angeles, at the suggestion of fellow actor Peter Wells,” according to the radio station WRTI.
During his residency, Goldblum assembled the jazz band and named it The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Per WRTI, Mildred Snitzer is a real person, but she doesn’t have any involvement in the bad — “she is a friend of Jeff’s parents and he liked the sound of her name.”
Since Goldblum created The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra 30 years ago, “he and his band have performed for delighted audiences throughout the United States and all over the world playing contemporary arrangements of classic jazz and American songbook standards,” according to Pittsburg CLO.
The band has put out three albums and multiple singles and currently have roughly 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.