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Cynthia Erivo slams fan-edited ‘Wicked’ poster as ‘offensive’: It’s ‘deeply hurtful’
Tennessee

Cynthia Erivo slams fan-edited ‘Wicked’ poster as ‘offensive’: It’s ‘deeply hurtful’

Cynthia Erivo called a fan-released “Wicked” poster “offensive” that obscures most of her face.

On Wednesday, the 37-year-old actress took to her Instagram Story to draw attention to the fan art, which she described as “deeply hurtful.”

“This is the wildest, most insulting thing I’ve ever seen, it’s the equivalent of that horrible Ai fight of ours, it’s the equivalent of people asking ‘Is your damn green one,'” Erivo wrote on the doctored poster.

Cynthia Erivo called out a fan-made version of the new Wicked poster. Getty Images
Erivo addressed the doctored image on her Instagram Story on Wednesday, which can be seen above. Instagram

“None of this is funny. None of it is sweet. It humiliates me. It demeans us.”

In the new “Wicked” promotional photo shared by Universal Pictures last week, Erivo’s character Elphaba stares directly into the camera while Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, whispers something in her ear.

The poster was an homage to the original Broadway poster; However, there are stark contrasts between the two – such as Ervivo’s lipstick color, her facial expressions and, most importantly, the visibility of her eyes.

The fan art was a nod to the original Broadway poster, which Erivo said was an “illustration” and not real people.
In the new poster, Erivo’s eyes can be seen and she is staring at the camera. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

After Universal released the new poster, a fan account edited the image to reflect the old poster, covering Erivo’s eyes, swapping her green lipstick for red, and changing her facial expression to a grin.

The Tony winner clearly wasn’t a fan of the changes, which she felt diminished her role in the Jon M. Chu-directed film.

“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. “I am a real human being who has chosen to look directly through the barrel of the camera at you, the viewer… because without words, we communicate with our eyes,” she explained.

Erivo said that “to edit her face and hide her eyes is to erase her.” Instagram
The Tony winner called the change “deeply hurtful.” Getty Images

“Our poster is a homage, not an imitation. To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me,” she concluded. “And that’s just deeply hurtful.”

The Grammy winner followed her response with the unedited recording to “cleanse fans’ palettes.”

Chu also seemed to agree with her sentiment, reposting her response on his story and adding, “@cynthiaerivo is my superhero. ❤️❤️❤️”

Erivo stars in the film alongside Ariana Grande. Universal images
Part 1 of “Wicked” will be released next month. Universal images

While Grande didn’t directly address the controversy, she showed subtle support by also re-sharing the new poster with Erivo’s eyes front and center.

The “Eternal Sunshine” singer and the “Harriet” star became close while working on the highly anticipated film, which hits theaters November 22nd.

Part 2 of the film will be released later on December 25, 2025.

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