The individual responsible for the fan-made Wicked poster has recently addressed the situation after Cynthia Erivo’s reaction.
In the film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, Erivo portrays Elphaba, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana Grande takes on the role of Glinda the Good Witch.
Wicked is set to be released in two parts, with the first part hitting cinemas in the United States on November 22.
The narrative of both the stage show and the film centers around Elphaba, a green-skinned witch often misunderstood, who unexpectedly befriends Glinda, a student eager for popularity.
Upon meeting the Wizard of Oz, portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, they uncover secrets about him and the injustices in Oz, altering their relationship.
Just as the musical is cherished, so too is the renowned poster, which depicts Elphaba’s face partly obscured by her hat as Glinda leans in to whisper.
Recently, Erivo, 37, criticized a fan alteration of one of the film’s official posters, calling it ‘deeply hurtful’ and ‘degrading’.
The original artist has since clarified the intended message behind their creation.
Using Twitter, they expressed: “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.
“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.”
The creator further clarified that ‘no AI was used’ in creating the poster, which they intend to keep available online.
They continued: “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.”
Grande, another member of the cast, also commented on the edited images, expressing that she finds AI to be ‘so conflicting and troublesome sometimes’.