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Cynthia Erivo calls a fan-released ‘Wicked’ poster ‘the wildest, most offensive thing’
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Cynthia Erivo calls a fan-released ‘Wicked’ poster ‘the wildest, most offensive thing’

Cynthia Erivo criticized a fan-made “Wicked” poster that was circulating online, describing it as “offensive” and “deeply hurtful.”

An official poster for the film, which hits theaters in November, was released by distributor Universal Pictures earlier this month. (NBC News and Universal are both part of Comcast.)

In the picture, Ariana Grande’s character Glinda is seen whispering something to Erivos Elphaba. The film’s poster differs from the Broadway version as it shows Elphaba’s eyes by lifting her hat and changing her lipstick from red to green. Amid the enthusiasm for the musical, many online began pointing out the changes. One person altered the poster to cover Elphaba’s eyes, which led to Erivo’s post.

“Our poster is a homage, not an imitation. Editing my face and hiding my eyes means erasing me,” Erivo wrote on her Instagram Story on Wednesday. “And that’s just deeply hurtful.”

Wicket
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in “Wicked.”Universal

The edited poster did not contain any changes to Glinda’s outfit or hair.

Erivo said the original Broadway poster was an illustration not based on real actors and that it was a conscious decision to show their face in the film version of the poster.

“I am a real human being who has chosen to look directly through the camera at you, the viewer… because without words, we communicate with our eyes,” she wrote.

She described the edited version of the poster as “the wildest, most offensive thing I’ve ever seen” and compared it to two offensive AI-created memes related to the film that were also widely shared online. One image shows Grande and Erivo lashing out at each other as their characters. Another shows Grande’s character asking Erivo if the color of her genitals matches the color of her green skin.

In a second Instagram Story, Erivo posted the unedited version of the film’s poster and wrote, “Let me put this here to remind you and cleanse your palette.”

“Wicked,” directed by Jon M. Chu, hits theaters November 22nd. Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Bowen Yang star alongside Erivo and Grande.

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