"This is WILD overreaction"— Internet reacts to Cynthia Erivo criticizing fan-made poster of Wicked and calling it "degrading"

A fan-edited poster of the upcoming film Wicked, featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, was posted on social media. The poster follows the artwork from the original Broadway show and features Erivo's character Elphaba with her eyes hidden.

After she saw the image, Cynthia Erivo took to Instagram to share how the poster was "deeply hurtful and degrading" on October 16, 2024. It is worth noting that the Instagram story is no longer available, as they can only be viewed 24 hours after being posted.

In her Instagram story, the actress said that the edit was "the wildest, most offensive thing" that she has ever seen. She added that editing her face and hiding her eyes was "to erase [her]," which she found "deeply hurtful" and degrading.

However, when fans saw the Instagram story, they weren't too pleased with the actress' take on the edited poster. They took to social media to call her out while others asked her to cool it, as many Redditors even called her response a "WILD overreaction."

One user noted that they were "concerned for the fan" who made the edit, calling it a "fun little Photoshop edit" to pay homage to the original poster and get the response they did. They added that celebrities needed to stop reacting to such edits publicly.

"Not only this is a WILD overreaction, but I'm also concerned for the fan(s) that made the edit," a Reddit user said.

A fan reacts to Cynthia Erivo's comments on a fan-edited Wicked poster (Image via @svarriant/ Reddit)

The user also commented on Cynthia Erivo's "unnecessary meanness" when she asked the fan to "cleanse your palette." They said that the actress hadn't just misspelled the word but she was also being nasty.

Some netizens reasoned that the edited Wicked poster was only to make it look like the Broadway playbill.

"Maybe I'm going to sound mean, but Cynthia needs to chill out because it's not that serious, memes have always existed," an X user commented.

"Oh give me a break. Do we really have to be offended by everything? Calm down. The fans just wanted a more accurate look to the original poster. Stop looking so deep into it. There was no hate intended," another X user wrote.

Cynthia Erivo's Instagram story about the fan-edited poster also sparked comparisons between the original poster and the edited one. Netizens claimed that the edits to the poster made it better, with many saying that the edit gave it "more mysterious and cheeky vibes."

"Give me a break. The original poster features a lifeless pose that tells us nothing of her character. The minor edit with the smirk gives us sooo much more about the character and the movie. Get over yourself Cynthia. "To hide my eyes is to erase me". Give us a break," a user on X wrote.

"But just showing the grin while concealing the eyes really adds more mysterious and cheeky vibes tbh," an X user chimed in.

"I'm sorry but the actual poster for the film gives nothing. What exactly is the facial expression she's making here? Is she sad? Distressed? Surprised? I have no idea. The edit does unfortunately look a lot cooler," another X user added.

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Cynthia Erivo's Wicked is coming to theaters in November

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande starrer Wicked is set to be released in theaters across the US on November 22, 2024. The film is releasing nearly eight years after news of the adaptation was revealed in 2016. A second part of the film is slated to release sometime in 2025.

Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba Thropp, the green-skinned protagonist in the fantasy pop musical, while Grande will play the role of Glinda.

Cynthia spoke to Entertainment Weekly in February 2024 and said that she approved of the production splitting Wicked into two movies. She also explained what the first film brings in terms of her character. The actress said that the film will help viewers "really get to know Elphaba as a young lady." The film will also focus on the things that push her to become the Wicked Witch of the West.

Cynthia Erivo explained that the films will allow viewers to follow Elphaba and Glinda "behind the scenes a little bit more." She said that they've expanded their friendship in the film.

John M. Chu has directed the film, which stars Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, among others.

Wicked is set to release in theaters across the US on November 22, 2024.