‘Wicked’ star Cynthia Erivo gets pushed aside for Ariana Grande in British newspapers despite being British

Everywhere you switch you can find some promotion for the highly anticipated film “Wicked” starring two of its leading castmates, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

However, fans on social media have noticed something strange: the British press – in fact, just some elements of it – as a substitute of highlighting Erivo – a homegrown talent and the lead in the film – appear to put Ariana Grande at the middle of their coverage.

The irony here is nearly too palpable. “Wicked” tells the story of Elphaba, who was rejected and overshadowed by Glinda due to her green skin. Replace green with black and the real-world similarities turn into inconceivable to disregard.

Elphaba Erivo, the emotional heart of the story, is once more overshadowed – this time by a blonde and white star on newspaper covers. Fans saw it as a textbook example of racial prejudice, turning what must have been a celebration of British talent into an uncomfortable reminder of persistent inequality.

Many fans find it painfully ironic that Erivo’s country is reluctant to spotlight her while supporting Grande, who, let’s face it, is not even starring.

“Cynthia Eviro has never appeared on the cover of this newspaper. She literally plays the MAIN character Elphaba and it’s so easy to find a picture of both of them. I hate what the white media is doing in the UK” – one among the X users he tweeted together with a viral video featuring the front few pages of The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail. All three newspapers are News Corp. publications, owned by the identical conservative-leaning media conglomerate that has subsidiaries resembling Fox News in the United States.

One newspaper only highlighted Grande’s appearance on the London premiere, but not Erivo, who was also present.

Another person sent“Cynthia Erivo is the HEAD lady, she is also British. Do you know how racist the British media is by cutting out THEIR OWN HOME LADY from photos to focus on a White American woman?! SMDH.”

Third comment To read“The British press does not show Cynthia erivo on the covers of newspapers… the aggression is not so micro.”

The irony of this lack of respect is that Erivo may be very happy with her British identity.

A couple of years ago, quite a few tweets got here to light in which she appeared to make disparaging comments about black Americans and emphasize her Nigerian and English heritage. In one tweet from 2013, she was called out for saying that she used the “ghetto America” ​​style when writing words in an African-American language.

The backlash was swift, with critics questioning her for insulting black Americans when her biggest roles were playing characters from the United States.

“Well, there’s something like this. Cynthia Ervio desires to play famous black Americans while disrespecting black Americans. That’s my problem,” one person wrote on Twitter.

For a story about difficult norms and supporting marginalized people, “Wicked”‘s media premiere struck a sour note with some fans.

Many people in America focused not on the story, but on the small size of each stars. People say that each Erivo and Grande look extremely slim, which has sparked discussion that each are competing to be smaller than the opposite.

Another controversy arose when the Nigerian-British woman complained a couple of fan-made poster posted online that appeared to cover her face but clearly featured Grande. The original artwork shows her face prominently.

“This is the wildest and most offensive thing I have ever seen, comparable to the terrible artificial intelligence of our fight… Our poster is a tribute, not an imitation. Editing my face and hiding my eyes means erasing me. This is just deeply painful,” she wrote on Twitter.

For her, it was a matter of erasure. Fans consider the identical erasure is going on in the media in her home country.

“Cynthia Erivo is an award-winning triple threat, TALENT on at least two continents” – one fan he argued before declaring: “The British press is rubbish.”

The United Nations Working Group on People of African Descent conducted a study in 2012 which found that the UK has an issue with the mistreatment of black people in the press and in on a regular basis life.

This is clearly visible in the British media’s treatment of former Duchess Meghan Markle, throwing mud at her in various headlines and, in one case, promoting that she is just not black.

While the ‘Harriet’ star is poised to deliver a shocking performance because the misunderstood Elphaba, the British press’s deal with the favored former Nickelodeon star and pop princess looks as if a missed opportunity for self-celebration.

Like Elphaba herself, Erivo can have the last word and prove that regardless of who’s on the quilt, it is the underdog’s story that counts.