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Cynthia Erivo labels ‘bad’ poster edits as insulting and demeaning
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Cynthia Erivo labels ‘bad’ poster edits as insulting and demeaning

When the official movie poster for Bad wasn’t an exact replica of the illustrated Broadway artwork, fans made their own edits — but Erivo calls it “the wildest, most offensive thing I’ve seen”

Everyone involved the film adaptation of Bad was aware of the pressure they would inherit from the fan base of one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals. And yet this recognition has not eased the burgeoning criticism surrounding the film, which is released on November 22. When the official poster for Bad wasn’t an exact replica of the illustrated Broadway artwork, fans have made their own edits to it, but Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the film, calls the changes “the wildest, most offensive thing I’ve ever seen.”

Erivo sounded off on her Instagram story after coming across fan-made posters depicting the Bad poster showing Elphaba with her eyes covered by a black witch hat. The new photos also had the placement of Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) hand adjusted to match the position of the original poster. “The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION,” the actress wrote. “I am a real human being who has chosen to look straight down the barrel of the camera at you, the viewer… because we communicate without words with our eyes.”

The next slide from Erivo’s Instagram story shows the original poster, as opposed to the edited poster she reposted from a fan account. “Let me put this here, to remind you and cleanse your palette.” The side-by-side comparison highlights other tweaks, including the addition of a red lip in place of the movie poster’s green lipstick. “Our poster is a tribute and not an imitation,” Erivo continued. “To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just very painful.”

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The actress grouped the changes as being as offensive as AI videos of Elphaba and Glinda fighting and the running “is your py green?” meme. “None of this is funny. None of it is cute,” she said. “It degrades me. It degrades us.”

Grande did not directly criticize the edits, but did reshare the original Bad poster on her Instagram Story without comment.