Cynthia Erivo Condemns AI in Creation of New Wicked Poster
Cynthia Erivo joined the ongoing discussion on artificial intelligence (AI), criticizing the use of AI to modify the film’s take on the classic Wicked poster.
Erivo, set to portray Elphaba in the highly anticipated Wicked film adaptation, voiced her disapproval of fans re-editing the movie’s poster using AI.
Recently, Erivo and Ariana Grande took to social media, sharing their recreation of the classic Broadway poster.
Along with this poster, the film has received support from Wicked fans through cosmetic collaborations, trailers, and more. While the film’s promotion received worldwide acclaim, some fans took their excitement to the next level.
One follower changed not only the poster but also the features of the actors depicted in it. This new poster displays the “Elphaba” performer with a stronger red lip, a shadow over her eyes, and her cap lowered. The artist also raised the “Glinda” actor’s hand to cover more of her mouth. These changes were made using AI.
someone fixed wicked’s poster pic.twitter.com/PuFObM8Z4Y
— arianators wildin ∞ ☼ (@arianatorswildt) October 9, 2024
In response to the circulation of this remake, Erivo took to social media, reposting the AI poster on her Instagram story writing, “It degrades me. It degrades us…Our poster is an homage, not an imitation; to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me.”
She continued to share the original poster for the film, a sentiment later supported by her co-star, Grande.
This response was met with mixed reactions. While some argue the issue did not warrant a public discussion, others have garnered their support for the actor.
One fan took to X and wrote, “That doesn’t give YOU the right to edit her face from the poster. You can tell she’s deeply hurt by this and if you can’t see that- then you’re the issue.”
if i see one more tweet saying ‘she’s doing too much’ ‘it’s just a poster’… they paid homage to the broadway poster but that doesn’t give YOU the right to edit her face from the poster. you can tell she’s deeply hurt by this and if you can’t see that- then you’re the issue. pic.twitter.com/pFOiQK0eOF
— ciaran | WICKED ERA (@ciaransfalsegod) October 16, 2024
The critique of the poster has reignited a debate over the use of artificial intelligence, forcing creatives, audiences, and technologists to confront difficult questions about the future of art.
Wicked hits theatres on November 22, tickets are now available here.
