'The Wizard of Oz' Wicked Witch's suffering on 'being green' revealed

Being green wasn’t always easy for Margaret Hamilton, the actress who famously played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Decades before Cynthia Erivo took on the role for Wicked’s origin story, Hamilton’s 1939 portrayal of the crackling villain, terrorizing Oz left an indelible mark on the role for Wicked’s origin story.

Hamilton’s 1939 depiction of the crackling character, left an accident, as revealed by Oz historian, John Frickie, an author of the Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History.

According to People, the incident occurred during the iconic scene where the Wicked Witch vanishes in a cloud of red smoke after threatening Dorothy and Toto with the infamous line, “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too.”

In regards to this, Hamilton stood on an elevator platform that was meant to lower her below the set as smoke and fire erupted from vents nearby.

During the early days of Hollywood, such effects relied on real flames, which heightened the risk.

Although the first take went off without a hitch, the crew faced multiple misfires after lunch, as per the publication. 

Meanwhile, Fricke recounts that during a subsequent attempt, the flames ignited prematurely before Hamilton was fully lowered.

Additionally, her costume and hat, with its gauzy fabric, caught fire, causing severe burns, second-degree burns to her face and third-degree burns on her hand, which was coated in green makeup containing copper.

After six weeks of recovery, Hamilton returned to complete her role, however, the ordeal left lingering effects, her skin retained a greenish tint for months due to the makeup, as per the outlet. 

Despite the pain, Hamilton remained proud of her role in The Wizard Of Oz, considering it one of the highlights of her career.