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[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for The Witches on HBO Max.]

Hope you’re ready for a whole lot of Kristen Chenoweth in the next few weeks because she’s been keeping mighty busy! Not only does she have Holidate hitting Netflix on October 28th and a new Food Network show, Candy Land, kicking off in November, but Chenoweth is also in HBO Max’s new rendition of the Road Dahl book, The Witches.

The movie puts the spotlight on a young boy played by Jahzir Bruno who goes to live with his grandmother (Octavia Spencer) after the passing of his parents. While spending some time at a fancy hotel, they run into the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) who’s cooking up a scheme to turn children into mice. Chenoweth’s character, Daisy, is one of those mice.

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Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

One thing fans of the 1990 movie might notice is that this adaptation’s ending stays true to the source material. Whereas Luke is transformed back into a boy in Nicolas Roeg’s movie, in this new film, the kids remain mice and that means they have limited lifespans. What was Chenoweth’s reaction to finding out this movie would run with that darker ending? Here’s what she said: 

“I had mixed feelings. And, by the way, there were a couple endings I got. So it kind of switched back and forth.” 

Clearly they did wind up running with the ending from the novel and ultimately, Chenoweth found value in that choice:

“I want to speak really to my younger fans; I think the message here is - and I think this is what we’re saying with the film - the way you look? Don’t worry about it. Lead with your brain, lead with your heart and the things that make you unique and different, embrace them because that’ll probably be what makes you special.”

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Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

If you’d like to hear more from Chenoweth about her experience making The Witches, working with director Robert Zemeckis, a key thing she learned on one of her very first sets and her thoughts on the Wicked film adaptation, check out our full chat at the top of this article! 

Kristin Chenoweth: 

  • Chenoweth shares something she was afraid to ask about on set when she was first starting out.
  • How does Chenoweth know when director Robert Zemeckis is really into a take?
  • How does Chenoweth feel about the ending of the film?
  • Chenoweth shares some thoughts on the feature adaptation of Wicked.