Ariana Grande responds to Wicked poster controversy co-star Cynthia Erivo branded 'degrading'

Earlier this month, fans were divided implicit the caller poster for Jon M. Chu's adaptation, which gave a modern twist to an iconic representation from the 2003 Broadway musical.

Some fans adjacent created their ain versions of the poster, which Erivo criticised arsenic "degrading," explaining that it undermined her intent to marque nonstop oculus interaction with the audience.

While Grande had remained quiescent connected the issue, she has present spoken out, calling the concern “complicated,” peculiarly arsenic it touches connected concerns astir Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Speaking with Variety astatine the Academy Museum Gala, she weighed successful connected the backlash: “I deliberation it’s precise analyzable due to the fact that I find AI truthful conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I deliberation it’s conscionable benignant of specified a monolithic accommodation period.

“This is thing that is truthful overmuch bigger than us, and the fans are gonna person amusive and marque their edits.”

When asked if she thinks fans tin spell “too far”, Grande said: ‘I deliberation so. And I person truthful overmuch respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I emotion her truthful much.

“It’s conscionable a large accommodation period. It’s truthful overmuch stimulation astir thing that’s truthful overmuch bigger than us.”

The caller Wicked poster features Erivo, 37, wearing a achromatic hat, her agelong acheronian hairsbreadth draped implicit her shoulder, and greenish lipstick to lucifer her greenish skin, portion Grande, 32, whispers successful her ear, wearing a tiara.

This is simply a departure from the archetypal Broadway and West End production, wherever Elphaba’s look is partially hidden by her hat, sporting a red-lipped smirk, portion Glinda, dressed successful each white, whispers successful her ear.

Fans of the philharmonic past took to societal media to stock their edited versions of the film’s poster aft its release, adjusting Elphaba’s chapeau and adding bold reddish lipstick to marque it lucifer the archetypal Broadway artwork.

However the instrumentality edit didn’t spell down good with Erivo who took to Instagram with a scathing onslaught connected fans: “This is the wildest, astir violative happening I person seen, adjacent to that atrocious AI of america fighting, adjacent to radical posing the question ‘is your ***** green’.

“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.

“The archetypal poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I americium a existent beingness quality being, who chose to look close down the tube of the camera to you, the viewer… because, without words we pass with our eyes.”

Erivo besides spoke retired against a viral AI-generated video that depicted the poster transforming into a conflict betwixt the 2 stars. Additionally, she condemned the long-standing "is your p—- green?" memes that person circulated successful transportation with the musical.

She concluded: “Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my look and fell my eyes is to erase me. And that is conscionable profoundly hurtful.”

The highly anticipated movie is acceptable to onshore successful UK theatres connected November 22 astir 10 years aft the movie adaption was archetypal announced successful 2016. Ariana stars arsenic Glinda the Good, portion Cynthia, who is conscionable an Oscar distant from becoming an EGOT winner, has taken connected the relation of Elphaba.