Actress Cynthia Erivo, cast as Elphaba in the forthcoming Wicked film adaptation, has criticised a fan-edited poster that concealed her face. Erivo, 37, voiced her frustration on Instagram, saying the alterations were “deeply hurtful” and “offensive.”
Universal Pictures’ original poster prominently featured Erivo’s character, with her eyes visible next to Ariana Grande’s Glinda. However, a fan account modified the image to mimic the Broadway poster by obscuring Erivo’s eyes, altering her lipstick, and adjusting her expression.
“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us,” Erivo wrote, explaining that she had intentionally looked directly at the camera in the original to communicate through her eyes. She said, “Our poster is an homage, not an imitation… to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me.”
Director Jon M. Chu supported Erivo, reposting her response and praising her as “my superhero.” Erivo then shared the unaltered poster to “cleanse [fans’] palette” and reinforce her role in the film.