Director Jon M. Chu decided not to show Dorothy's face in Wicked: For Good because he felt like it was "a distraction" from the central story.

In the second part of the movie musical, the story ties into The Wizard of Oz, with Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West's friendship with Glinda the Good being tested further by the arrival of Dorothy Gale and Toto in Oz.

However, out of respect for the 1939 original and Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy, the new Dorothy's face is never seen, and viewers only catch glimpses of her as she walks the Yellow Brick Road and meets the Wizard, among other scenes.

In an interview with Business Insider, Chu revealed that he shot some scenes featuring Dorothy's face as a precaution, but ultimately felt like she pulled the focus away from Elphaba and Glinda's story.

"We had opportunities to show more, and we shot some things where you could see her face, but our intention, from the beginning, was not to show her face," Chu shared. "But was I sure of that choice? We did get options for it, but every time, it was a distraction."

He explained that the whole purpose of Wicked is to tell The Wizard of Oz story from the witches' perspective, not Dorothy's.

"The thing we went by the whole time was something from the stage show," he added. "They told us, 'It's about the girls! Whatever is happening, it's about the girls.' So every time it drew us to, 'What does Dorothy think?' we reminded ourselves of that."

The Crazy Rich Asians director cast dancer Bethany Weaver as Dorothy because she had the right silhouette and "youthful energy".

"At the auditions, we would put a sheet up, looking at the performer's silhouette," Chu said. "Through that, I was looking at how she could walk, but also, could I guide her in that way?"

The identity of the person playing Dorothy was kept a secret until the film's premiere, when Weaver's name was listed in the credits.

Earlier this week, she shared behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot and thanked Chu for the "life-changing experience".