Cynthia Erivo Says She 'Probably Should've Called Friends' Over WICKED Poster Frustrations

Cynthia Erivo, the Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-winning actress set to portray Elphaba in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, has addressed the buzz surrounding her viral reaction to fan-made alterations of the movie's promotional poster—admitting that the situation might have been avoided had she first confided in friends.

Earlier, Universal unveiled a new poster for the highly anticipated film, featuring Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda in homage to the original Broadway artwork. A fan, aiming for a closer resemblance to the Broadway design, edited the poster by lowering Elphaba's hat to obscure her eyes and adding bold red lipstick.

Erivo expressed her disappointment on Instagram, sharing one of the altered images and writing, "This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen... None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us." She emphasized the importance of her visible eyes in the poster, adding, "To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful."

When asked about her "clapback" during an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the CFDA Awards, Erivo laughed and clarified, "It wasn't necessarily a clapback." She elaborated, "I think I'm really protective of the role. I'm passionate about it, and I know that the fans are passionate about it. It was a human moment of wanting to protect Elphaba. I probably should've called my friends, but it's fine."

Discussing the broader implications of artificial intelligence and fan edits with Variety, co-star Ariana Grande remarked, "I think it's very complicated because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it's such a massive adjustment period. This is something that... it's so much bigger than us."

Grande addressed the situation while attending the 4th Annual Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. After acknowledging that fan edits can sometimes "go too far," Grande stood in solidarity with her co-star, saying, "The fans are gonna have fun and make their edits... I have so much respect for my sister Cynthia, and I love her so much."

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film adaptation of Wicked explores the untold story of Elphaba and Glinda, chronicling their unlikely friendship at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. The star-studded cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Bowen Yang.