Cynthia Erivo Is Irate Over a Fan-Edited ‘Wicked’ Poster: ‘Most Offensive Thing’

Hollywood’s emerald city has turned stormy as Wicked star Cynthia Erivo unleashes a wave of criticism against fan-edited posters that she claims are “erasing” her from the highly anticipated film adaptation.

The uproar began when Universal Pictures unveiled a poster for the highly anticipated movie, scheduled for release on Nov. 22. The official image paid homage to the iconic Broadway playbill, featuring Ariana Grande as Glinda whispering into the ear of Erivo’s Elphaba. However, the film poster made a notable departure by raising Elphaba’s hat, allowing viewers to see Erivo’s eyes.

This artistic choice drew an unexpected reaction from some avid Wicked enthusiasts. Social media platforms soon flooded with fan-edited versions of the poster, altered to resemble the original Broadway artwork more closely. These modifications included lowering Elphaba’s hat to obscure Erivo’s face and applying bold red lipstick to the character’s lips.

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Erivo, deeply disturbed by these unauthorized alterations, took to Instagram to voice her dismay. In a passionate statement, she declared, per Variety, “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen equal to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people posing the the question ‘is your p— green?’” The actress went on to emphasize, “None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”

The Tony Award-winning performer further elaborated on the significance of the official poster’s design, explaining, “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.”

Erivo added, “If I can entertain you for two minutes, it’s love. If I can love someone for 50 years, that’s entertainment. If I can entertain someone for 30 seconds, it’s creative. So I find all different names for the same thing, and I really enjoy sharing this joy, making people have a feeling for an hour or so and enjoy themselves. And sometimes you miss them out. That’s the only thing that makes me sad. Why did I let down people? Why couldn’t I give them enough love or entertainment or creativity, or whatever the name you can.”

The Wicked poster controversy has elicited mixed reactions from the public. While many have rallied behind Erivo, condemning the edits as disrespectful and potentially racist, others have suggested that the fan-made alterations might have been well-intentioned, albeit misguided. Some argue that the edits were merely an attempt to recreate the nostalgic aesthetic of the beloved Broadway production rather than a deliberate act of erasure.

However, Erivo’s supporters maintain that regardless of intent, the act of obscuring a Black actress’s face in promotional material is inherently problematic. They contend that such actions, even if unintentional, contribute to a broader pattern of marginalization and erasure of people of color in media.

In response to the controversy, Wicked director Jon M. Chu reposted the official movie poster on social media. Erivo shared this post in an Instagram Story, adding the caption, “Let me put this here to remind you and cleanse your palette.”This gesture was meant to reaffirm the film’s intended visual representation and serve as a subtle rebuke to those who had altered it.

The Wicked film adaptation is set to be released in two parts. The first installment, featuring Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda, will hit theaters on Nov. 22, with the second part following in 2025. The star-studded cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Bowen Yang.