The original creator of THAT Wicked poster, which displayed Cynthia Erivo as the Wicked Witch of the West, has spoken out.
Last week, the 37-year-old slammed a fan edit of one of the film’s official posters as ‘deeply hurtful’ and ‘degrading’, and since then it has blown up online – it feels like you can’t go five minutes without seeing someone talk about it on social media.
Wicked is the prequel to epic The Wizard of OZ, and will be released in cinemas across the US next month on November 22.
Erivo will co-star as Elphaba alongside Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda the good witch.
I’ll quickly brief you on the synopsis of the show as it will give you a greater understanding of the fan’s edit.
Elphaba is misunderstood because of her green skin, but she forges an unlikely friendship with Glinda – a student who desires to be popular.
After they encounter the Wizard of Oz, played by Jeff Goldblum, their relationship soon changes.
So, Erivo’s character eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West and dons green skin.
Cynthia Erivo was not happy with the fan’s edit (Instagram/@cynthiaerivo)
Well, a fan’s edit left the British actor fuming last week when she posted an Instagram Story claiming it was ‘degrading’ and ‘deeply hurtful’.
Well, the original creator has now explained the true meaning behind their work and it seems like Erivo may have gotten the wrong end of the stick – although her upset may still be warranted.
Taking to Twitter to defend their work, they wrote: “Ok so I’ve decided to repost this – the last few days have been wild & have helped me realise that the initial reaction was largely overblown. This is, and always was, an innocent fan edit to pay homage to the original Broadway poster, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
“I’ve also seen some people take credit for this and don’t think that’s totally fair so I’m coming out of the woodworks lol.
The original creator of the poster which offended Erivo has explained that wasn’t their intention (X/midosommar)
“While I deleted initially as I felt it was the right thing to do, fan posters have been around for as long as movies have existed. I never meant to cause any harm and the poster is just a homage to the original broadway poster, just like the movie’s recreation is.”
They went on to explain how ‘no AI was used’ in the making of the poster – which the creator now wants to keep online despite Erivo’s reaction.
Adding: “Also, I will say that Cynthia is valid in having her feelings on the matter, and I’m also valid in wanting to keep my version of the poster up as I truly meant no harm with it and just made it as a way to show love for the original. Both can be true.”
