The musical Wicked, which debuted on Broadway in 2003, has become a cultural landmark. It reinterprets the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. Following years of speculation, Universal Pictures announced that a film adaptation that faced various delays, including a setback during the COVID-19 pandemic, was finally being made.
After finally securing a release date for November 22, 2024, the film stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Their casting is significant, as it showcases a diverse representation of characters originally drawn from L. Frank Baum’s beloved stories.
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Recently, Cynthia Erivo voiced her concerns regarding the backlash she faced on social media, particularly in relation to fan edits of a film poster for Wicked.
The poster, which features Erivo’s Elphaba alongside Grande’s Glinda, received negative scrutiny from certain segments of the fan base. Erivo addressed these concerns on her Instagram story, condemning the edits that sought to obscure her face.
She highlighted the importance of representation in media, stating that attempts to erase her presence were deeply offensive. Erivo expressed that the edits were not just artistic critiques but attacks on her identity as a Black woman in the industry.
This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people posing the qyestion “is your ***** green”
None of this is funny
None of this is cute
It degreades me
it degrades us
The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real life human being, who chose to 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.
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In response to Erivo’s comments, many fans rallied around her, expressing solidarity and condemning the negative behavior online. Social media, while often a platform for criticism, also serves as a significant tool for activism and communal support.
The collective effort to promote respect and fairness in representation underscores the need for dialogue in the creative arts. Cynthia Erivo’s experience reveals not only the personal toll of such incidents but also the broader implications for diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry.
Wicked will be released in theaters nationwide on November 22, 2024. However, the movie will be released in two parts, with the second part coming out on November 21, 2025.
Wicked is being directed by Jon M. Chu and also stars Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
Are you counting down the days until Wicked hits theaters? What is your favorite Cynthia Erivo role? Let us know in the comments!
