Cynthia Erivo, who lives up to the role of Elphaba in the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked, took a stand to the fan edits made to the film’s poster. She reported the edits by posting an Instagram picture explaining why the original caption was unacceptable. The 37-year-old Local actress said the changes to the various features in the revised poster were “disrespectful.” Her transformations included alterations in the look: she turned Elphaba’s famous hat upside down.
She painted her lips an even brighter red, trying to resemble the poster for the Broadway first rendition. The second objectionable item, besides the poster, was an AI video that elicited much attention on social media. It cast her with her opponent, a fellow actress, Ariana Grande, who portrays Glinda in the movie. She also discussed another one of what she knew existed as “internet jokes,” this one that “questioned” the stringently green skin of “Elphaba,” who was representative of the musical even through her garment.
Cynthia said to the audience, ‘That agitated her’ because it was degrading to her. She put her writing in a huff and informed everyone that she had witnessed many terrible things in her life, but that was one of the worst. She argued that it was even worse and more dangerous for the meme than the AI video. She noted that none of such jokes or edits were funny or unethical.
What they were disrespecting wasn’t her but the effort she and her teammates’ were putting into their work. She also pointed out that when designing the Wicked poster, she did not set out to copy the Broadway artwork but to pay homage to it. She further adds that the picture in the poster is the actual poster, and she is only a natural person in the movie poster.
Erivo stated that the direct look on the poster was a very significant function simply because it was supposed to say something to the audience without a single word. She is sad that her face is covered, and people are trying to hide her eyes, which detracts from the look. For her, that removes her image and the message she wanted to bring with the poster, which was disrespectful. Cynthia hopes that her message reminds a fan that real people are behind artistic expressions, and such edits or jokes might be much more hurtful than funny.
