Ariana Grande defends Cynthia Erivo following 'deeply hurtful' fan-made 'Wicked' movie poster

Cynthia Erivo is blasting "deeply hurtful" fan art that obscures her face in promotional material for the upcoming "Wicked" movie adaptation.

After sharing impressively lifelike fan illustrations on her Instagram Story on Wednesday, Erivo called out a fan edit that rubbed her the wrong way. In an altered version of one of the film's promotional posters, Ariana Grande's Glinda whispers in the ear of Elphaba, aka Erivo, whose face is concealed by her witchy hat.

Though the real poster has Erivo staring down the camera, the edited image aligns more closely with the Broadway musical art.

"This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen equal to that awful AI of us fighting … " Erivo wrote in her Instagram Story above the edited "Wicked" poster. "None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us."

The "AI of us fighting" is a computer-generated clip that transforms Grande and Erivo's "Wicked" poster poses into the two throwing punches at each other. She also referenced another meme which is a joke about Elphaba's genitalia that has circulated for a while.

"The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION," she added. "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 just deeply hurtful."

Erivo followed up with the real film poster "to remind you and cleanse your palette."

Director Jon M. Chu showed his support for the Grammy, Tony and Emmy-winning actress in his Instagram Story. He screenshot Erivo's statement with the correct image and wrote, "??? @cynthiaerivo is my superhero ???."

Ariana Grande: 'The fans are gonna have fun and make their edits'

Variety Senior Culture and Events Editor Marc Malkin asked Grande her thoughts on Erivo's comments at Saturday's Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles.

"I think it’s very complicated because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s just kind of such a massive adjustment period," Grande said. "This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits."

She continued, "I have so much respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I love her so much. It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s so much stimulation about something that’s so much bigger than us."

Later, Grande opened up about her and Erivo's friendship and said, "I think we are stuck with each other, professionally and personally, for the rest of our lives."

Cynthia Erivo 'felt very protective' of Elphaba

During the "Wicked" presentation at CinemaCon in April, Erivo explained the iconic characters of Elphaba and Glinda are "two roles that have been so pivotal in our lives and meant the most to us."

Grande added they both felt the responsibility and "poured our hearts, our souls, so many lashes, wands, and we gave it all we possibly could."

"I just have to take it one day at a time," Erivo told USA TODAY earlier this year about what might be her highest-profile role to date. "I hope people see themselves in the movie and realize that not fitting in is fantastic. For me, that’s the main aim of this. I loved playing (Elphaba). I felt very protective of her."

Erivo also hinted at exploring a career in directing with the urging of her Oscar-winning co-star Michelle Yeoh.

See the 'Wicked' trailer: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo sing 'Popular' and 'Defying Gravity'

"(Yeoh) asked me randomly, 'So when are you going to start directing?' " Erivo said. "My head blew off because I hadn’t mentioned anything; I'm green at this moment. And she was like, 'I can see it.' So if Michelle Yeoh thinks that of me – and she’s worked with everyone – I might have to start considering it seriously."

In the "Wizard of Oz" prequel, Elphaba (Erivo) — who's not yet the Wicked Witch of the West — comes to Shiz University and butts heads with popular girl Glinda (Grande). A social misfit because of her green skin, Elphaba has a ton of potential when it comes to magic, the two very different youngsters foster a budding friendship, and Elphaba takes Glinda with her to Oz when she's summoned by the not-so-wonderful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

That's just the beginning of their story, which will be told over two big-budget musical films. "Wicked" arrives in theaters Nov. 22, and the second "Wicked" chapter is scheduled for Nov. 26, 2025.

Contributing: Brian Truitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cynthia Erivo blasts fan-made 'Wicked' poster: 'Deeply hurtful'