Wicked star slams “offensive” edited poster and AI fight with Ariana Grande

As a dedicated fan who has eagerly anticipated the big-screen adaptation of Wicked since its announcement, I must admit that I find myself torn by the recent controversy surrounding the poster redesign. On one hand, I understand the studio’s desire to showcase the incredible talent of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in their respective roles as Elphaba and Galinda. However, as a fellow artist who understands the power of visual storytelling, I empathize with Cynthia Erivo’s sentiments.


Cynthia Erivo, portraying the character of the Wicked Witch of the West in the production of Wicked, finds the altered poster design to be “the most offensive” piece she has encountered thus far.

Cynthia Erivo is set to perform alongside Ariana Grande in the upcoming film adaptation of “Wicked,” which has a strong potential to become one of the top-earning films in 2024.

Although there’s widespread anticipation for the cinematic adaptation of this century’s iconic musical, it has received criticism. For instance, some viewers have expressed confusion because trailers haven’t explicitly stated that it is the first of two films, with the second one scheduled for release in late 2025.

Significantly, the film’s promotional poster showcases two significant alterations from the musical’s initial artwork: Elphaba’s face is visible, while Galinda only partially conceals her own. This adjustment serves to highlight the actresses in the movie, as it’s more important for viewers to recognize them than to replicate the original poster exactly.

Instead, fan reactions fell short, leading them to alter the image: Galinda’s hand was adjusted, while Elphaba’s hat cast a shadow over the upper part of her face. Additionally, an unusual AI-generated poster emerged, depicting the two characters engaged in combat.

Cynthia Erivo expresses her feelings about changes made to the ‘Wicked’ poster and a viral AI animation:

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 16, 2024

Erivo posted two images on her Instagram story, labeling the altered version as “the most outrageous and offensive thing I’ve ever come across, comparable to that distasteful AI depicting us fighting, similar to people asking ‘is your hair color green’.” (Note: I replaced the offensive word with “hair color” to maintain a family-friendly environment.)

“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us,” she continued.

The initial image is actually a drawing. In contrast, I am a living, breathing person, who opted to directly gaze into the lens towards you, the observer… as our silent conversations often occur through the windows of our souls, our eyes.

Our poster isn’t a copy, it’s a tribute; altering my features or concealing my eyes feels like obliterating who I am, which is truly painful.

On November 26, 2025, Wicked will grace the silver screen. As the release date nears, the Wicked x Stanley merchandise line is creating quite a stir in Target shops nationwide.

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2024-10-16 18:25