Between critically-acclaimed leading performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, a stellar supporting cast that includes Jeff Goldblum and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and, indeed, the mere presence of Jonathan Bailey – it’s fair to say that the new Wicked movie is an especially star-studded offering.
However, if you’re a fan of Strictly Come Dancing, there’s one other familiar face you should look out for when the film finally hits cinemas.
Posting on Instagram earlier this week, long-serving Strictly pro Karen Hauer revealed that you might spot her dancing in the One Short Day musical number towards the end of Wicked.
Karen revealed on Instagram that she and Strictly’s creative director Jason Gilkison both performed in the movie musical, telling fans she’d had an “absolute blast” and a “Wicked experience doing a tiny bit of dancing in this magnificent movie”.
Thanking choreographer Christopher Scott, Karen added that she and Jason were like “two toddlers in a candy shop” during filming, and posted some impressive behind-the-scenes snaps.
Karen is now Strictly’s longest-serving professional dancer, having been part of the show since 2012.
In that time, she’s been part of some memorable partnerships, performing with the likes of Westlife singer Nicky Byrne, actors Greg Wise and Charles Venn, reality star Jamie Laing and, most recently, football legend Paul Merson.
Her other most notable partnerships included pop singer Will Young, who famously chose to leave Strictly four weeks into the process, and comedian Jayde Adams, in one of the show’s few same-sex pairings.
Interestingly, Wicked’s leading lady Cynthia Erivo has a Strictly connection of her own, as she famously appeared as a guest judge back in 2021.
Although the Tony winner was initially only supposed to appear as a one-off during Musicals Week, she was asked to return the following week after a member of the usual panel contracted Covid.
Wicked hits cinemas on Friday 22 November.