Cynthia Erivo comments on Wicked poster edits: "the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen"

[babarsuhail]

Cynthia Erivo has reacted to viral edits of the ‘WICKED’ poster:

“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting… Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face & hide my eyes is to erase me. That is just deeply hurtful” pic.twitter.com/y3P1Qh379S
- DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 16,

Comments

[frelling_tralk]

I guess I can understand why she would be hurt to feel like so much of her face is being erased from that poster, but honestly I think that the fan made one is more effective with that little smirk, whereas I’m not even sure what she’s meant to be communicating in the original poster when she’s looking at the viewer

And regardless it isn’t anything official, it’s just something a fan put together as a homage to the original musical poster from my understanding, so I’m surprised that she would go after it like that

[wefindinthesea]

I think you make a fair point here about her feeling erased. I think what’s tough is the original poster (for the musical) DOES cover half her face very purposefully: there’s a sense of mystery to her which works with the concept of the musical, and fans recreating that does literally “erase” her to an extent (both literally covering her eyes and “erasing” her choice of expression in the mouth) but in a way I don’t think is harmful. But at the same time, I do think she’s rightfully felt really erased in ways that are harmful and outright racist throughout fan reception overall. Lots of comments about seeing it only for Jonathan and Ariana, when she is the lead, Tony Winner, and the Oscar nominee of the group for example. So it’s the weird thing of very painful valid issue to have overall, of racist fans ignoring or critiquing her nonstop, but probably the wrong account to take it out on and to specifically pinpoint as the most offensive thing she’s seen.

[iznanassi]

oh i thought this was a race thing but then the post has her most "black" features and even respects them despite them being edited

i....don't get the issue because they edited ariana in the same way. and it makes more sense graphically that the bottom of the green one's face is shown while the eyes of the bubble one are shown to essentially complete one face

she also isn't communicating anything with her eyes so idk what that means either

[dustbunnylife]

She looks like she is communicating fear

[matsaurus]

This reaction is a whole lot. Especially "staring down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer ... because, without words we communicate with our eyes." Gurl. That expression is communicating nothing and even the OG poster 'communicated' without eyes tbh.

[dnttllhrry]

Right, she's giving a whole other vibe compared to the fan made poster that I'm not sure even conveys the attitude of the character. (I say I'm not sure because I've never seen Wicked).

[insomniachobs]

I can get Cynthia's POV in so far as "fixing" the poster does ignore the artistic choices of the photographer/actors vs the illustrator, and an actor has an interest in being fully on display in the marketing that an illustration doesn't. It also alters her far more than Ariana. I get why she doesn't appreciate it even if it is done out of fan enthusiasm.

Where I'm not following is how that particular edit is so wildly offensive it's equivalent to that grossly and cheaply misogynistic green pussy joke. (Is she maybe seeing others that are going further and whitewashing her features? Because that'd be vile)

[hypermuseic9]

oh brother