Actress Cynthia Erivo recently went viral for criticizing a fan-made “Wicked” poster. If you recall, Erivo called out fans who used AI to generate their own versions of the “Wicked” movie poster.
Pop singer Ariana Grande stars as Glenda, the good witch in Wicked, while Erivo plays the green witch Elphaba.
Erivo expressed her disappointment in one poster that featured her eyes covered and her lips painted red.
The original movie poster shows Erivo’s eyes and green lips to match her green skin.
But in the fan version of the poster, Erivo’s eyes are covered by the brim of her black hat and her lips are red.
Erivo took offense to the fan poster. She claimed fans were “erasing” her and that she felt “degraded”.
Social media dragged Erivo for being too sensitive and she finally saw the light.
Erivo, 37, spoke with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards on Monday, Oct. 28. She explained that she is “really protective” of her role as Elphaba in Wicked – and that’s why she spoke out about the fan posters
But Erivo acknowledged that she went too far when she attacked fans for “erasing” her. Her fans were expressing themselves through their art – which they had the right to do.
“I’m passionate about it and I know the fans are passionate about it and I think for me it was just like a human moment of wanting to protect little Elphaba,” Erivo said.
Erivo explained that she probably should have called her friends for advice before she lashed out at fans.
“It was like a human moment. “I probably should have called my friends, but it’s fine,” she said.
Ariana Grande defended the fan’s poster edits.
“This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits,” Grande told Variety magazine. “I have so much respect for my sister Cynthia, and I love her so much. It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s so much stimulation about something that’s so much bigger than us.”
