The fan who designed the controversial Wicked poster that Cynthia Erivo criticized has responded following the star’s recent angry remarks.
The unveiling of the official poster for Cynthia Erivo’s upcoming movie musical, Wicked, sparked controversy when a fan chose to modify it to more closely resemble the original artwork from the stage production.
In case you missed it, the recent poster features Erivo portraying Elphaba, gazing directly at the camera, while Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, is shown whispering in her ear.
The image closely resembles the illustration used to promote the original Broadway musical; however, fans quickly noted several key differences. For instance, Elphaba’s eyes are obscured by the brim of her hat, her lips are a vivid shade of red, and she has a smirk on her face.
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After a fan edited the image using AI tools, the 37-year-old actress expressed her outrage on her Instagram Stories, calling it “the most offensive thing I’ve ever seen.”
She stated, “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting and to people asking, ‘is your ***** green?’” This comment accompanied her repost of the edited image.
She went on to say, “None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us. The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real-life human being who chose to look directly into the camera, connecting with 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,” the star added.
Erivo then shared the newly released poster with the caption: “Let me put this right here, to remind you and cleanse your palate.”
Now, just days later, the individual behind the edited image has come forward to speak out.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the social media user stated: “Ok, so I’ve decided to repost this—the last few days have been wild and have helped me realize that the initial reaction was largely overblown.
“This was, and always has been, an innocent fan edit meant to pay homage to the original Broadway poster, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” they continued. “I’ve also noticed some people taking credit for this, and I don’t think that’s fair, so I’m coming out of the woodworks, lol.”
“While I initially deleted it because I felt it was the right thing to do, fan posters have been around for as long as movies have existed.”
They further expressed, “I never meant to cause any harm; the poster is simply a homage to the original Broadway poster, just like the movie’s recreation is.”
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The statement also clarified that no AI tools were used in creating the poster.
“Additionally, I want to say that Cynthia is valid in having her feelings about the matter, and I’m also valid in wanting to keep my version of the poster up, as I truly meant no harm and made it out of love for the original. Both can be true,” the X user added.
This news follows shortly after Erivo’s co-star Ariana Grande also addressed the balance of AI tools and their impact on the creative industry.
When asked about the controversy by Variety, Grande replied, “I think it’s very complicated because I find AI to be quite conflicting and troublesome at times. However, I believe we’re in a massive adjustment period.
“This is something that is much bigger than us, and the fans are going to have fun and create their edits,” she added.
When asked if she thinks fans can go “too far,” Grande responded: “I think so. I have so much respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I love her dearly.
“It’s just a big adjustment period. There’s so much stimulation around something that is much bigger than us,” the singer concluded.
Wicked is set to be released next month.
