Arts & Entertainment
New 3-D 'Witches' of Oz Features Glinda of Mission Viejo
Alongside Christopher Lloyd and Bill Boyd, Noel Thurman of Mission Viejo plays Glinda the Good Witch in the newly imagined 3-D family adventure "The Witches of Oz."
An updated, independent take on The Wizard of Oz is playing in Midwestern theaters now, and the role of Glinda the Good Witch is being played by a Mission Viejo resident.
She's better known for commercials, where she often plays the dumb blonde.
"If you Google 'dumb blonde,' my video comes up," Noel Thurman jokes.
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But when Thurman got the chance to make a family-friendly action in the style of Steven Spielberg, she couldn't refuse.
Here's the basic idea: Dorothy is an author who grew up in Kansas and moves to the big city. She thinks all her clever stories are being created by her imagination, but they're actually repressed memories of Oz.
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Along the way, Dorothy faces incredible obstacles. But luckily she meets Glinda, AKA Thurman, who fights alongside the hero.
The movie opened Feb. 17 in theaters in Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky. Further showings are scheduled for Wisconsin, Connecticut and possibly Orange County.
So far, so good, says Thurman.
"We're getting actually a really good response," she said. "The little amount of theaters we're getting into--we beat out Ghost Rider."
Here's what Thurman had to say about her own character, Glinda:
"She's a warrior, and she's going to protect (Oz), heart and soul. That was something that a lot of people responded to--the press and just the fans. That she's so strong. She's the mother of Oz and she's going to protect it."
Director Leigh Scott wanted to make a big 80s-style family movie. Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame playing the wizard helps in that departent, Thurman. said.
Scott is also known for being a conservative blogger on Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood website. So how does that factor?
"Let's just say the wizard leaks in a few political comments," Thurman said. "And he does speak a little about the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence. It's very pro-American."
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