AwardsMarissa Bode Wins 2025 Christopher Reeve Acting Award For Wicked Film Performance
Media Access Awards and Easterseals' award honors accurate portrayals and employment of people with disabilities.
By
Margaret Hall
November 05, 2025
Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode in WickedGiles Keyte/Universal Pictures
Marissa Bode, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role of Nessarose in Wicked, has won the 2025 Christopher Reeve Acting Award.
Bode was honored for her groundbreaking feature film debut, which she will reprise in the second Wicked film, Wicked: For Good, later this month.
Awarded by the Media Access Awards and Easterseals, the Christopher Reeve Acting Award honors accurate portrayals and employment of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. Hosted by Tony winner Ali Stroker, Bode's award was presented to her by Cesily Collette, the young girl who played Baby Nessarose in the first Wicked film. To see her introduce Bode, and Bode's emotional acceptance speech, check out the video below.
Tickets are on sale now for the November 21 premiere of Wicked: For Good. Starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the films also feature West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy winner Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and Bode as Nessarose.
Stage and screen star Keala Settle, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael are also in the cast, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively.
The screen adaptation, which includes new songs by Stephen Schwartz, is helmed by In the Heights screen director Jon M. Chu. Wicked book writer Winnie Holzman penned the screenplay with Dana Fox, and Tony winner Paul Tazewell designed the Oscar-winning costumes.
Wicked, injecting a new backstory onto the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, debuted on Broadway in 2003 and continues to be an audience favorite at the Gershwin Theatre. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The musical is now the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.
The show won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).