Cynthia Erivo Responds Strongly to Controversial Altered Wicked Poster, Sparking Fan Debate on Memes

On October 16, Cynthia Erivo shared her thoughts on Instagram regarding a fan’s altered version of the Wicked movie poster. This modified poster attempts to resemble the original theatrical artwork by obscuring the eyes of Erivo’s character, Elphaba Thropp, with her hat.

In her social media post, Erivo referred to the fan creation as the “wildest, most offensive thing”she had encountered. She articulated that the poster “degrades”her portrayal, drawing a contrast between it and a crude AI-generated clip featuring her character and Ariana Grande’s Glinda Upland. In her Instagram story, she elaborated:

“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real-life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer …because, without words we communicate with our eyes,”

Erivo further continued,

“Our poster is an homage not an imitation. To alter my face and conceal my eyes is to erase my identity, and that is just deeply hurtful.”

Despite her strong reaction, many fans took to the comments section of her story, suggesting that the recreation was merely a fan tribute and not as significant as she perceived.

“I might sound harsh, but Cynthia needs to relax because it’s really not that serious; memes have always been around,”one user remarked on X.

“Cynthia Erivo is a remarkable talent, but I think she should take a step back and chill. She’s portraying a green character in a fantasy film; it’s not that significant,”stated another fan.

“Why is Cynthia Erivo posting as if she is actually Elphaba?”quipped another follower.

“If this is the most offensive thing you’ve ever seen, it seems like this might also be the first thing you’ve ever encountered,”another fan noted.

Some fans even criticized Erivo for previously sharing other edits of the Wicked poster without showing similar concern.

“An edit that ‘erases’ your identity by putting red lipstick on you and hiding your eyes is super offensive. But an edit depicting you in a war scenario happening in REAL LIFE isn’t offensive?” commented another user.

“So it’s okay to share memes when it’s from her side? But what about the real issues like war?”another pointed out.

Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked is set to hit theaters on November 22, 2024

Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

The much-anticipated film Wicked marks the beginning of a two-part cinematic adaptation. Directed by Jon M. Chu, this film is based on the acclaimed stage musical by Stephen Schwartz, which in turn draws from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name.

The first segment will transport audiences back to the Land of Oz, chronicling the journey of Elphaba as she studies at Shiz University and develops a relationship with Glinda before her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. The second installment is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.

The cast features Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, among others. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the film.

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