From Albany to Broadway to the big screen: One-on-one with the author of 'Wicked'

BOSTON (NEWS10) -- While people rush to movie theaters all over the country to see "Wicked," many don't realize the man behind the Wicked Witch of the West is author Gregory Maguire. He told NEWS10, when it comes to Albany, there's no place like home.

"I think I began to want to be a writer when I was four or five," he recalled. "As soon as I could make my letters, I began to draw pictures and describing the pictures in words."

If there's a yellow brick road, Maguire's leads to a quiet place, a pen and some paper. Because when it comes to writing --

"It was simply that I couldn't not do it," he said.

Maguire was born and raised in Albany. Like all kids, he had big dreams and "stinky" jobs.

"You know, John, when I was in high school, I worked at St. Peter's Hospital in the laundry," he said. "I used to imagine, someday, I won't be doing this. Someday, I'll be a writer, and I'll have a whole bookshelf of books that I've written."

Maguire went to school in Albany, graduated from the University at Albany, and for a time, taught eighth grade English in Albany. He also wrote children's books. Lots of them.

But they didn't sell.

"If I made even a dollar I'd be surprised," he said with a laugh.

He moved to London in the early 1990s and was inspired to write a story about the origin of evil.

"I said to myself, people aren't born wicked, so how do they get that way?"

It was the inspiration for his next novel, "Wicked."

"I always thought I'd see the Virgin Mary come out of the clouds -- being a good, Albany Catholic boy -- but instead, coming out of the clouds, it wasn't the Virgin Mary. It was Margaret Hamilton. It was the Wicked Witch of the West, and she was saying, 'I'll get you and your little dog.' And I thought, 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I have just had an inspiration. I have been visited by grace.'"

He immediately wrote out, by hand, what would become an international best seller.

A Broadway show would soon follow. It has been touring around the world for 21 years with four billion in ticket sales.

What was Maguire's reaction to seeing his witch fly?

"The hair on the back of my head stood up, and it has never sat back down again, which is why I have to keep my hair short now," he laughed. "It was electrifying."

Now, fans of Maguire's story are seeing "Wicked" in the movie theaters in a film starring Ariana Grande.

"She's Ari to me," he joked. "When I met her on the movie set, she took me by the arm and gave me a tour."

Today, Maguire lives with his family outside of Boston, and his library is full of stories he's written.

"You have to have dreams. That's what the imagination is for."

Teaching us all to never judge a witch by her color.

"Wicked: Part I" will be released on Friday, Nov. 22.