by Penny Borinstein ’28
December 10, 2024
Millions across America long awaited the new “Wicked” movie that premiered on November 21.
This cinematic take on the famous Broadway musical stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, as well as Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater, and Peter Dinklage.
Fans and critics have already confirmed that the movie is one of the most anticipated of the year, and the actors have done nothing less than advertise the film as much as they can. As well as having a $145 million budget, the producers have released multiple trailers, held an invited premiere, and participated in over 58 collaborations with brands all over America. The new movie has bigger, more complex elements and architecture that can’t be achieved on a stage, as well as CGI animals, buildings, and magic. All of the sets, including the Emerald City, Munchkinland, and the massive tulip fields are all real, and took months for the “Wicked” crew to make.
However, beneath all of the glitz and glamor, there seems to be some drama with the actors behind the cameras. Though we know that these are talented actors who have starred in many other productions, some fans have questioned if the casting is truly based on merit, or if it’s just celebrity casting.
The two lead actors, Ariana Grande, playing Glinda, and Cyntha Erivo, playing Elphaba, have sparked some controversy about themselves as actors and about the movie itself.
Grande has been a pop star since she was 15, when she started acting as well as singing on the popular Nickelodeon show “Victorious.” Since then she has released seven studio albums, founded a cosmetics brand, r.e.m. beauty, and starred in multiple movies and shows, such as “iCarly”, “Swindle”, and “Sam & Cat,” reaching a net worth of $240 million as of 2024.
Clearly, Grande has made it to the top of stardom, but some musical theater purists are doubtful when it comes to her casting. Some fans thought that the producers only casted her because of her fame, and ignored the fact that the actress actually has had a significant background in the art. She did theater growing up, as well as starring in the Broadway musical “13” when she was 15. Not only that, but she has also been a dedicated fan of “Wicked” since she first saw it at age 10.
When Grande found out she was cast as Glinda, she posted the live footage of her reaction on Instagram, which went viral. The video shows Grande being asked to play Glinda, and her immediately breaking down into tears.
“I love her so much,” she said on the video. “I’m gonna take such good care of her.”
This believably genuine reaction refuted fans’ rumors and confirmed that Grande has actually dreamed of this role since she was a kid. But Grande wanted to honor her inner child in more than one way. In the movie’s credits, Grande will be listed as “Ariana Grande-Butera” which is her birth name that she went by before becoming an pop star.
“I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me.” she said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. “I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from Elphaba,” she said. “You know, [Grande-Butera] was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old.” This evidently was truly a full circle moment for the actress, honoring the little girl that loved the show so much.
Cynthia Erivo, a 37 year old British actress and singer, gained her fame after her part in the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple” in 2015. In the past decade, her talent has earned her Grammy, Emmy, and Tony awards. Since then, Erivo has starred in many other films, but fans are most excited about her role in “Wicked.”
There’s no denying that Erivo has endless amounts of talent, but recent events involving the actress have led fans to believe that her ego might be even bigger than her role in the film. Tensions have risen about a certain fan’s post on Instagram. The original Broadway musical cover shows an illustration of Glinda whispering into Elphaba’s ear. Grande and Erivo recreated this iconic photo which framed them in order for mostly their entire faces to be seen.
One fan thought it would be interesting to make the remake more similar to the original poster. The fan posted an edited photo on Instagram; they made her hat hide her eyes and changed her lips from green to red, and the post blew up. Erivo saw the edit and posted her response, leaving fans utterly shocked about the way she reacted.
From left to right: the official film poster; the original cartoon poster for the Broadway musical; the fan edited poster which drew the anger of Cynthia Erivo (via Universal Pictures and @midsommar)
Erivo responded to the edit via Instagram in a written post, “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” she commented. “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 deeply hurtful.”
The edit was an innocent take on the original poster, and it most likely meant no harm for either of the actors. Her reaction was so extreme that fans were outraged about the level of chaos that a benign post had caused. After reading the provoked response, many were left wondering: was this post taken out of context, or was Erivo’s reaction just a scheme to gain more fame?
