Cynthia Erivo Calls Out 'Wicked' Movie Poster Edit as 'Offensive' and 'Hurtful'

Cynthia Erivo Calls Out 'Wicked'

Cynthia Erivo expressed her disappointment with "Wicked" fans who edited the official movie poster to partially obscure her face. On October 16, Erivo, 37, shared the altered poster on her Instagram Stories, which hides her character Elphaba's eyes. This fan-created version attempts to mimic the iconic illustrated poster from the original Broadway musical.

In her post, Erivo criticized the edit, saying, "This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people posing the question 'is your ***** green.' None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us."

She emphasized the difference between the original poster, which is an illustration, and herself as a real human being. "I chose to look right down the barrel of the camera because, without words, we communicate with our eyes," she noted. Erivo also highlighted that the movie's poster is meant to be an homage to the Broadway version, stating, "To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful."

Following her critique, she shared the official, unedited poster on her Stories, stating, "Let me put this right here, to remind you and cleanse your palette."

In the highly anticipated two-part adaptation of "Wicked," Erivo stars alongside Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Keala Settle, and Ethan Slater. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film promises a more intimate portrayal than the stage production. "Wicked: Part One" hits theaters on November 27, with the second part scheduled for November 26, 2025.

Cynthia Erivo Calls Out 'Wicked' Movie Poster Edit as 'Offensive' and 'Hurtful'