The Wicked fan that was slammed by leading lady Cynthia Erivo over an 'AI-generated' movie poster they'd made has spoken out over the controversy.
After their work was branded the 'most offensive thing' the actor had 'ever seen', the social media user has now issued an emotional online statement addressing the backlash.
Wicked poster controversy explained
For those out of the loop with the film industry's latest debacle, a fan-edited poster for Wicked went viral last week after Cynthia Erivo - one of the movie's two leading stars - called it out on her social media.
The 37-year-old Broadway star - who plays 'Elphaba' alongside Ariana Grande's 'Glinda' in the flick - branded the image the 'wildest, most offensive thing' she'd 'ever seen'.
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Erivo added: "Equal to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people posing the question 'is your ***** green'.
"None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us."
Referencing how the creator had airbrushed her eyes and covered co-star Grande's mouth - to mimic that shown in the original stage production poster - she went on: "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. Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me.
"And that is just deeply hurtful."
Later, Erivo went on to share a snap of the 2024 film's poster - in which viewers can clearly see her eyes - penning in a caption: "Let me put this right here, to remind you and cleanse your palette."
This has since sparked mass debate online, with many siding with Erivo on the matter, while some accused the star of blowing the fan-made image out of proportion.
Wicked fan's response to the backlash
It wasn't until Sunday (20 October), however, that the poster's creator addressed the online criticism, claiming their design had 'innocent' intentions.
Taking to X, they wrote: "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."
The user went on: "This is, and always was, an innocent fan edit to pay homage to the original Broadway poster, and there’s nothing wrong with that!"
In a series of follow-up tweets, they added: "I’ve also seen some people take credit for this and don’t think that’s totally fair so I’m coming out of the woodworks lol.
"While I deleted 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."
They continued: "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."
Ariana Grande's response to Wicked poster controversy
The fan's statement comes after Eviro's close friend and cast mate Grande chimed in on the debate.
Asked about her pal's stance on the matter of AI posters, the chart-topper described the situation as 'complicated'.
"I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes," Grande admitted. "But I think it’s just kind of such a massive adjustment period.
"This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits."
When asked whether she thinks accessibility to AI content has gone 'too far', Grande went on to confess: "I think so.
"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."
Wicked is set to hit cinemas on 22 November, 2024.
Topics: Ariana Grande, Celebrity, TV And Film, Cynthia Erivo
Rhianna Benson