Wicked's casting directors "would not take no for any reason" when they approached Jonathan Bailey.

The 37-year-old actor played Fiyero in the Wicked film franchise, and Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Canfield, the casting directors behind the two-part Wicked movie musical, have revealed how they approached hiring Jonathan for the role.

Bernard told People: "We knew who Johnny was because we saw him in Company on the West End.

"It's our job to follow actors even if we don't know him personally or we haven't seen him on a regular basis. But he was coming through New York way before we started, and we sat down and did a general with him. And I remember [saying] 'Tiffany, that guy should be Fiyero, right?'"

Tiffany admitted that they refused to take no for an answer when they approached Jonathan for the role of Fiyero.

She said: "A lot of people told us he was not available and we just would not take no for any reason."

Tiffany was immediately convinced that Jonathan was perfectly suited to the role.

She explained: "When [the self tape came in, we] were like, 'That's what we need'. The cheekiness, the humour, but the real humanity too. The real vulnerability."

Meanwhile, Jonathan recently revealed that he shed tears during the London premiere of Wicked: For Good.

The actor reprised the role of Fiyero to star in the second Wicked movie, but Jonathan admitted that he cried at the premiere, where he sat alongside his niece.

During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jonathan - who was recently named as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive - shared: "I was there with my family and all my school friends and my niece was there. I was just watching her sit there and she was just completely taking it in, and I started crying and I couldn't stop."

Jonathan also recalled feeling proud and relieved at the premiere in London.

The movie star said: "Actors are only [present] for like 15 percent of making these extraordinary films, so when you think of [director] Jon M. Chu and [producer] Marc Platt who has stuck with this for over 15 years, for me it's been three years. That London premiere felt like a real release, and I'm just so proud that now everyone gets to go and experience it."