Cynthia Erivo addresses her ‘sensitive’ reaction to fan-edited ‘Wicked’ poster: ‘I fell out on the internet’
Cynthia Erivo is again addressing her controversial reaction to a fan-edited poster for the movie “Wicked.”
In a new interview, Erivo, 37, who plays Elphaba – aka the Wicked Witch of the West – in “Wicked,” says she “had a little human moment” when she saw the altered advert and acknowledged that she “fell out on the internet.”
The star caught flak in October when she slammed a fan for editing the film’s poster to more closely resemble the iconic one from the original Broadway musical on which the movie is based.
Erivo was particularly incensed that the fan-created movie poster obscured her eyes. “[T]o edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me,” she wrote on her Instagram story at the time.
“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen. None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION,” Erivo continued. “I am a real life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer … because, without words we communicate with our eyes.”
A few days after venting her feelings online, Erivo walked back her remarks.
While on the red carpet at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards, the Broadway veteran explained that she is “really protective” of the movie and conceded that she “probably should have called my friends” rather than post her initial reaction for the entire world.
Recently speaking with the Los Angeles Times’ The Envelope, the Tony-winner provided additional context on her wicked October day on the internet.
“Having that passion for what this piece is and loving it so much and knowing how much I want to communicate through Elphaba, that’s probably where that came from,” Erivo explained.
“And so in my little human moment I had … I fell out on the internet, when really I should have just picked up my phone and called a friend.”
“We have these human moments,” she went on. “And me being human and sensitive, I shared something that I think is part of the little girl in me. I realize that there are so many people who love this just as much as I do.”
The “Harriet” actress also said that her tendency to react strongly is something she shares with her character in “Wicked.”
“We both lack patience, me more than her,” the Oscar nominee confessed. “I think we both have daddy issues. And we don’t mince our words, that’s for sure.”
Erivo’s “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande, 31, who plays Glinda — aka “the good witch” — acknowledged the online blunder on Oct. 19 while speaking to Variety at the Academy Museum Gala.
“I think it’s very complicated because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s just kind of such a massive adjustment period,” Grande said. “This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits.”
“Wicked” drops down in theaters Nov. 22.
