A fan-made edit of a Wicked movie poster became a point of contention in October 2024, after star Cynthia Erivo said the changes were hurtful.
The official poster for Jon M. Chu’s adaptation showed Ariana Grande’s Glinda whispering to Erivo’s Elphaba. It recalled the familiar Broadway artwork while leaving Erivo’s eyes visible beneath her hat.
Some fans wanted a closer match to the stage illustration. An edited version lowered the hat’s brim over Erivo’s eyes, changing the expression and the way she faced the viewer. Erivo responded in an Instagram Story.
Why the Fan-Made Poster Drew a Response
The disagreement centered on what the change meant. For the fan making the edit, the stage poster was the reference. For Erivo, covering her eyes removed a deliberate part of her performance in the photograph.
That distinction mattered because the Broadway image was an illustration, while the film poster showed the actors themselves. Erivo said she had chosen to look directly toward the camera and communicate with viewers through her eyes.
Erivo described the altered poster as degrading and said hiding her eyes felt like erasure. She distinguished an homage from an imitation: the film’s artwork could recall the stage poster without reproducing every detail. Her response made clear that she experienced the edit differently from the people who saw it as a visual tribute.
Chu supported his lead actress by sharing her statement on his own Instagram Story and describing her as his superhero.
The account @midosommar initially removed the edited image, then posted it again with an explanation. The creator said the intention had been to honor the original Broadway poster, not to harm Erivo or anyone involved with the film.
In that explanation, the creator acknowledged that Erivo was entitled to her feelings while maintaining that the image had been made out of affection for the stage artwork. The repost did not mean the two sides had reached agreement about its effect.
The episode brought two different reactions to the same image into public view: a fan’s attempt to recreate a familiar design and an actor’s objection to how that recreation changed her face. Describing the intention alone doesn’t explain the hurt Erivo expressed; describing the hurt doesn’t establish that the fan intended it.
