Cynthia Erivo has expressed her dissatisfaction with fan art that modifies her appearance in promotional materials for the forthcoming “Wicked” movie adaptation.
On Wednesday, Erivo featured impressive fan illustrations on her Instagram Story but confronted a fan-edited version of one of the movie’s promotional posters. In this altered image, Ariana Grande’s character Glinda is shown whispering to Elphaba, portrayed by Erivo, whose face is obscured by her witch hat. The original poster displays Erivo gazing directly at the camera, whereas the fan edit seems to align with the style of the Broadway show’s artwork.
Erivo criticized the edited poster, stating, “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting.” She continued, “None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
The “AI of us fighting” refers to a computer-generated clip that transformed Grande and Erivo’s promotional poses into a visual of the two actors seemingly fighting. Erivo also mentioned another meme making jokes about Elphaba which has been circulating.
“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION,” she noted. “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. 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.”
To emphasize her message, Erivo shared the actual film poster to remind her followers of the intended representation.
Director Jon M. Chu showed solidarity with Erivo by reposting her statement along with the appropriate poster on his Instagram Story, declaring, “@cynthiaerivo is my superhero.”
During a presentation for “Wicked” at CinemaCon earlier this year, Erivo expressed that the characters Elphaba and Glinda are significant to her and Grande. Grande noted that both performers invested their hearts and souls into their roles.
Erivo, speaking to USA TODAY about her prominent role, acknowledged her desire for viewers to feel represented: “I hope people see themselves in the movie and realize that not fitting in is fantastic. I loved playing (Elphaba). I felt very protective of her.”
Additionally, she mentioned she is considering a directing career, inspired by her co-star Michelle Yeoh’s suggestion, saying, “So when are you going to start directing?”
In the movie set in the world of “The Wizard of Oz,” Erivo’s Elphaba, who has yet to become the Wicked Witch of the West, encounters popular girl Glinda at Shiz University. The two characters, despite their differences, form an unlikely friendship as Elphaba’s magical abilities come to life, leading them on a journey to the land of Oz.
“Wicked” is set to be released in theaters on November 22, with a sequel planned for November 26, 2025.