Ariana Grande has thrown her two cents in when it comes to her co-star Cynthia Erivo’s recent takedown of a Wicked poster made by a fan. Her years of media training are showing, because the singer is being very ~diplomatic~ when it comes to the drama.
ICYMI, one of the latest Wicked posters paid homage to the original Broadway poster, but showed Erivo’s full face. Some fans got upset that it wasn’t an exact replica, so one recreated it, moving Elphaba’s witch hat down so it covered Erivo’s eyes. A second fan took things way further, creating an AI video where the two characters from the poster started full-out fighting.
Erivo called it out on Instagram, saying that these “awful” fan edits were “offensive” and accused the fan edits of being “degrading” and “deeply hurtful”.
When Variety asked Grande about her thoughts on the whole saga, she chose her words carefully.
“I think it’s very complicated because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s just kind of a massive adjustment period,” Grande said.
“This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits.”
The interviewer noted that sometimes “things can go too far”.
“I think so,” Grande agreed. “And I have so much respect for my sister Cynthia, and I love her so much. It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s so much stimulation about something that’s so much bigger than us.”
The fan who made the fan edit originally deleted it out of respect for Erivo, but has since reposted it with an explanation.
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! pic.twitter.com/XeyWPt2tvF
— 🇵🇸 (@midosommar) October 20, 2024
“The last few days have been wild and 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!” they wrote on X.
“While I deleted [it] 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. Also no AI was used!
“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.”
The original Broadway poster is one of *the* most recognisable artworks around, so it makes sense that fans are feeling tied to it. The Wicked fandom is bonkers, and I feel like there’s gonna be more fan edits to come. Still, it’s disappointing for an actor to feel erased, so hopefully the press tour continues with a few less bumps in the road.
Lead image: Universal
The post Ariana Grande Weighs In On Cynthia Erivo’s Scathing Rant About Fan-Edited Wicked Poster appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
