Lia Dimapasok via canva.com

As “Wicked” gears up for its upcoming big screen release, main actress Cynthia Erivo finds herself in the middle of a controversy regarding a fan-edited poster.

Broadway fans and fans of the musical itself are thrilled for “Wicked” to make its big screen debut. But an unexpected dispute over a fan edited poster has cast an unusual shadow over the film’s promotion. Is this a case of artistic boundaries, or did the reaction go too far?

With the up and coming “Wicked” movie, fans of the musical are excited to see Elphaba and Glinda’s story portrayed on the big screen. So much so, many social media users are creating fan made posters and edits, some nodding to the iconic Broadway rendition. However, one TikTok user’s attempt to capture the original look (with Elphaba’s eyes shaded by her hat’s brim and lips tinted a bold red) gained a rather unexpected response from the film’s lead actress, Cynthia Erivo, who described the edit as “degrading.”

In the original Broadway Playbill, Elphaba is portrayed with this mysterious, shadowed look, eyes completely covered. For the TikTok user who made the fan edited poster, this was simply supposed to be a tribute to its Broadway roots. But when the actress noticed, she expressed her offense via Instagram story, calling it “one of the most harmful things she had experienced since joining the role.”

Some fans were taken aback by the intensity of her response. While fan edits are common, especially with the rise of social media, this reaction in particular raised some eyebrows amongst the fans. The actress’s Instagram story portrayed the fan edit as “dehumanizing,” a reaction some felt was disproportionate to the edit itself.

“Honestly, I thought it was an overreaction,” said Arya Kulkarni (10). “The edit didn’t seem offensive at all; it just looked like a cool nod to the musical. We’re all just really excited for the movie.”

While many other fans might share this sentiment, some defend the actress’s right to express discomfort with her portrayal.

“I actually get where she’s coming from,” said Jeree Apan (10). “Actors work so hard to bring their unique vision to life. She’s taking on a huge role, and to have it changed by someone who might not understand her choices—that could feel really hurtful. It’s not just makeup; it’s part of her character.”

Another fan, Karishma Gianchandani (12), said, “Everybody is obviously allowed to have their own opinion, however, I do think people are reading into it way too much to the point where [the drama] is even affecting the actors involved in the movie.”

Fan art, artist tributes, and edits are just part of today’s fandom culture, but they can sometimes clash with the the celebrities themselves. For as long as Hollywood continues to adapt iconic stories, fans will jump in with their own interpretations, which can help build some momentum around the film (not that it needed it). But there’s still that sense of tension between keeping a project’s “official” vision and the free form nature of fan made content. Could the fan edit drama serve as a reminder of these boundaries, or was it simply an overreaction that distracted from the film itself?

Here’s to hoping the film itself lives up to the magic of the original Broadway rendition of “Wicked” without the distractions of online drama.