- Wicked star Cynthia Erivo hits back at fan-edits
- Calls poster-tweaks “offensive”
- Part One hits cinemas 22 November 2024
Actor Cynthia Erivo has hit back at fan-edits of a recently released Wicked: Part One poster, calling the images “offensive.”
Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the popular Wizard of Oz musical is set to hit cinemas next month and has recently unveiled a poster harking back to the iconic image used to promote the Broadway and West End hit.
The poster featured the story’s two stars, with Ariana Grande’s Glinda the Good seen whispering into Erivo’s Elphaba’s ear. For the most part, the still resembled the image that had long been used for the stage show but a few differences – including the new positioning of Elphaba’s hat to reveal her eyes – were quickly picked up by fans.
Taking to Photoshop, Wicked lovers started posting their own poster edits, which lowered Elphaba’s hat to re-cover her eyes and replaced her dark lipstick with a red colouring similar to that of the original poster.
However, its star took offence to these tweaks as well as a related meme surrounding the poster that has been doing the rounds on social media.
“Most offensive thing I have seen”
“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen equal to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people posing the question ‘is your p—- green?” said Erivo, writing on her personal Instagram story alongside a picture of the edited poster, complete with red lips and lowered hat.
“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
The star continued, adding: “The original poster is an Illustration. I am a real life human being, who chose to to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer …because, without words we communicate with our eyes.
“Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful.”
The star went on to hit back at a number of memes that have popped up surrounding the movie, including one which uses AI to show Glinda and Elphaba fighting and a long-running line that suggests Glinda is asking Elphaba “is your p—- green.”
When is Wicked: Part one released?
Wicked: Part One is set for release 22 November 2024. The second instalment, Wicked: Part Two, will arrive a year later on 22 November 2025.
Co-starring Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz, Chu’s story introduces us to Glinda and Elphaba as college roommates at Oz’s Shiz University.
From there, we watch as they become friends before a falling out puts their relationship to the test.
