Wicked was one of the biggest movies to release in 2024, and with the Academy Awards fast approaching, fans are on the edge of their seats to see who from the John Chu film will walk away with a golden statue. Ariana Grande, who stars in the film as Galinda, a pink-loving student who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba, nabbed her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Erivo is nominated as well — she’s up against Demi Moore, Mikey Madison, Fernanda Torres and Karla Sofía Gascón for the Best Actress in a Leading Role award.
Costume designer Paul Tazewell, the mastermind behind the movie’s larger-than-life looks, is also nominated for his contributions to Wicked. He’s a frontrunner for the award, after a decades-long career creating some of film’s most revered costumes.
Ahead of the March 2 ceremony, here’s everything you need to know about Tazewell.
He originally wanted to be a fashion designer
Though Tazewell has had a successful career as a costume designer for both screen and stage, the Akron, Ohio, native initially had other professional aspirations.
“I actually was initially in a fashion program at Pratt University, but I made the decision to switch to theater design for a couple reasons,” he told The Talks. “One, I wanted to be a performer! I was studying dance and I wanted to hone those skills. And I also just felt like the community of fashion designers wasn’t a good fit for me. But the biggest reason was that I was being taught to design for the market. I would have been designing to sell, and that just seemed limiting in what I might be able to do as a designer. Of course, there are designers that were and are doing really extreme, beautiful clothing, but it’s always as a thought towards selling the clothing. I made the decision to go back towards theater design to get to express myself without the notion of sales.”
He’s a Tony winner
Tazewell has won several awards for his designs, including a Best Costume Design in a Musical Tony Award for his work on Lin-Manuel’s Broadway hit Hamilton in 2016, and an Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program Emmy for his work on The Wiz Live! that same year. He’s current up for a Best Achievement in Costume Design Academy Award at the upcoming Oscars.
He has a history-making Oscar nomination under his belt
Tazewell made history in 2022 when he became the first Black man to be nominated for a Best Achievement in Costume Design Oscar for his work in 2021’s West Side Story. He didn’t win the award, but he is the favorite to take home the award at this year’s Academy Awards.
His Wicked roots run deep
Tazewell’s love for The Wizard of Oz stretches back to his childhood in Akron. He’s designed costumes for The Wiz four times, starting in high school.
“I made the costumes in the middle of our dining room on my mother’s Singer sewing machine,” he recounted to The Los Angeles Times.
He and Erivo go way back
Wicked fans may be surprised to learn that Tazewell and Erivo didn’t first meet on the set of the John Chu epic. The pair have worked together before, on the 2019 Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet. Tazewell told The New York Times that it was on that set that they discovered their mutual love for clothing and more.
“That’s really where we bonded,” he told the outlet.
He has a connection to a Destiny’s Child member
Tazewell’s work can currently be seen on Broadway in Death Becomes Her. The musical adaptation stars Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams.
