Wicked, one of the most talked-about movies released this year, sparked massive controversy over a fan-made poster.
The stir began in October when Universal released the original poster for the upcoming Wicked film, featuring Cynthia as Elphaba and Ariana as Glinda.
Fans immediately noticed a resemblance to the original Broadway artwork, but with some noticeable differences.
In the movie version, Cynthia’s Elphaba faces the camera while Grande’s Glinda whispers in her ear, a clear tribute to the Broadway artwork. However, the original poster for the musical had Elphaba’s witch hat lowered to cover her eyes.
Later, a fan created a post inspired by the Broadway artwork and added some creative tweaks to the Universal poster. The self-identified creator covered Elphaba’s eyes with her hat, gave her bright red lips, and made her smirk, much like the musical’s artwork.
After the fan edit caught Cynthia’s attention, the actress slammed the poster, called it “the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen.”
“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us. 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.”
“To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful,” added the enraged actress.
The fan, who claimed ownership of the poster, released a statement after Cynthia’s rant.
“Fan posters have been around for as long as movies have existed,” the artist said. “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 stir began in October when Universal released the original poster for the upcoming Wicked film, featuring Cynthia as Elphaba and Ariana as Glinda.
Fans immediately noticed a resemblance to the original Broadway artwork, but with some noticeable differences.
In the movie version, Cynthia’s Elphaba faces the camera while Grande’s Glinda whispers in her ear, a clear tribute to the Broadway artwork. However, the original poster for the musical had Elphaba’s witch hat lowered to cover her eyes.
Later, a fan created a post inspired by the Broadway artwork and added some creative tweaks to the Universal poster. The self-identified creator covered Elphaba’s eyes with her hat, gave her bright red lips, and made her smirk, much like the musical’s artwork.
After the fan edit caught Cynthia’s attention, the actress slammed the poster, called it “the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen.”
“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us. 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.”
“To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful,” added the enraged actress.
The fan, who claimed ownership of the poster, released a statement after Cynthia’s rant.
“Fan posters have been around for as long as movies have existed,” the artist said. “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.”