Bode was born in Mazomanie, Wisconsin. At the age of 11, she became disabled following a car crash, and has since had to use a wheelchair for mobility.[3] 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]
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 for 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 colour in the film: "To be that representation for not only disabled people but disabled people of colour 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] 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]
Personal life
Since September 2023, Bode has been in a relationship with Lauren Brooks.[12]
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