Cynthia Erivo has reflected on her “passionate” response to a fan-made Wicked poster that went viral this month.
Firstly, for some context, Cynthia — who is starring as Elphaba in the upcoming Wicked movie — caused a stir a couple of weeks ago when she slammed a “deeply hurtful” fan edit of the new film poster, which had been digitally altered to more closely resemble the original Broadway advert for the musical.
“None of this is funny. None of this is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us,” she wrote. “The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. 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.”
Now, the Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winner has addressed all the attention surrounding her viral statement — seemingly admitting that the drama probably could’ve been avoided if she’d first vented to her friends.
“I think I’m really protective of the role,” she said when asked to explain why it was so “important” for her to speak out. “I’m passionate about it, and I know that the fans are passionate about it.”
Ariana Grande — who stars opposite Cynthia in Wicked as Glinda — previously addressed the “complicated” situation while attending the 4th Annual Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Oct. 19.
Moral of the story: Always call a friend before airing your thoughts to the world. What do you make of Cynthia’s latest comments? LMK!
