Many years after she played the role, Margaret Hamilton made a throwaway comment in an interview. When asked how she approached playing the role, she said that she always felt like the witch was misunderstood and had probably had bad experiences earlier in her life which had led to her being the way she was. Author Gregory Macguire took that idea and ran with it, writing 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'. The book was a huge success and spawned an even more successful Broadway musical.
'Wicked' both as a stage show and a musical, explores the relationship between the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, set against the context of political abuses in the Land of Oz by the Wizard. The show has toured all over the world and continues to be successful, with a movie adaptation planned for release in 2019.