Cynthia Erivo Slams Memes Diminishing Her Role in “Wicked”
CNN
Don’t mess with the “Wicked” witch.
Cynthia Erivo, who stars as <a href="http://www.time.news/they-launch-a-brand-new-trailer-for-depraved-with-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivo/" title="They launch a brand new trailer for 'Depraved' with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo”>Elphaba in the upcoming “Wicked” adaptation, has spoken out against various memes and fan-made alterations of the film’s poster, claiming they “degrade” and “erase” her involvement in the project.
Earlier this month, fans shared edits of the latest poster for the “Wicked” film, which features Ariana Grande as Glinda whispering to Erivo. Many edited the image to more closely resemble the musical’s original logo, depicting Glinda cupping her hand to Elphaba’s ear as the green witch smirks, her eyes hidden beneath her iconic pointy black hat.
While many fans considered this an improvement over the official film poster that shows Erivo’s face clearly, Erivo expressed her discontent. In an Instagram story, she labeled the edits as the “wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” stating,
“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.”
In her story, Erivo addressed other inappropriate “Wicked” memes that have been circulating online, mentioning one particularly crude joke about Elphaba’s anatomy and an AI-generated video depicting a physical altercation between the two lead actresses.
“None of this is funny. None of this is cute,” Erivo wrote. “It degrades me. It degrades us.”
On the same day, Erivo, Grande, and “Wicked” film director Jon M. Chu all reshared the official poster on their Instagram accounts. In his post, Chu expressed that Erivo is “(his) superhero.”
The anticipation for the “Wicked” premiere has led to a plethora of jokes, memes, and a variety of fan reactions. Some fans have critiqued the film’s trailers for seemingly downplaying the fact that it is a musical and only the first part in a planned duology — the first film will cover the musical’s first act and conclude with the powerful anthem “Defying Gravity.”
Part one of “Wicked” is set to be released in theaters on November 22, with the second installment expected to arrive in November 2025.