Marissa Bode

Marissa Bode
Bode in 2025
Born	(2000-08-28) August 28, 20001 Mazomanie, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma mater	American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2013–present
Partner	Lauren Brooks (2023–present)

Marissa Bode (/ˈboʊdi/ BOH-dee; born August 28, 2000¹) is an American actress. After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, she gained recognition for her portrayal of Nessarose Thropp in the musical films Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025).

Bode was born in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, to a Black mother and a White father. At the age of 11, on the way to practice for a theater production, she became paralyzed following a car crash, and has since relied on a wheelchair for mobility.²³ She started acting at school and starred in local productions, with her first role being that of an orphan in The Prince and the Pauper.⁴ She graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and currently lives in Los Angeles.⁵

Bode has performed onstage since the age of eight in local productions such as Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Pan, and Mary Poppins.⁶

Bode wrote, directed, and produced her first short film in 2021, called You're Adorable.

In 2022, it was announced she would play Nessarose, Elphaba's sister and the Wicked Witch of the East, in the Wicked film adaptations, making her feature film debut. She made history by being the first wheelchair user to play the character, who also uses a wheelchair.⁷ Bode shared her excitement for the role and for being able to represent disabled women of color in the film: "To be that representation for not only disabled people but disabled people of color is so exciting and so surreal".⁸ She also praised the accessibility of the Wicked set, finding it to have been designed with a wheelchair user in mind. The set had a disability coordinator, Chantelle Nassari, who is also a wheelchair user, who would visit sets before Bode to anticipate any issues Bode might have around the set so they could be fixed beforehand.⁹ Director Jon M. Chu stated that making the set accessible was "one of the most enlightening and beautiful processes I've ever gone through. You need accessibility, not just when we're on set behind the scenes, but you need to present accessibility in Oz itself."¹⁰ Her casting in the role marked the first time a disabled actress portrayed the character. For her performance, Bode received several nominations as part of the film's ensemble cast—which includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum—and with her inclusion in the film's Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture nomination at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards, she became the first ever wheelchair user to garner a nomination in any category at the SAG Awards.

As part of the marketing campaign for the film, Mattel, one of the collaborating brands, released seven dolls of the main characters including Elphaba, Glinda and Nessarose with removable outfits and accessories and built in the likenesses of the actors.¹¹

Bode identifies as queer.¹²¹³¹⁴ Since September 2023, Bode has been in a relationship with fellow wheelchair user Lauren Brooks.¹⁵