Cynthia Erivo is facing renewed backlash after claiming controversy surrounding the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good discouraged her from campaigning for an Oscar, while also suggesting audiences unfairly looked down on the sequel despite knowing from the beginning that Wicked was planned as a two-part story.
In a new interview with Variety, the actress reflected on the viral reaction to an incident during the film’s Singapore premiere in which she intervened after a man rushed toward co-star Ariana Grande.
The moment sparked countless memes online portraying Erivo as Grande’s “bodyguard,” something the actress now says deeply affected her emotionally and professionally.
“I just felt like my humanity had been bastardized,” Erivo said. “I felt like something I did instinctively had been made to be something that it simply was not because of the way people see women who look like me, and because of the assumptions that are made, and I just didn’t want to be a part of that, really and truly. I didn’t want to put myself through it. I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”
Cynthia Erivo Says Audiences Had “Upturned Nose” At ‘Wicked: For Good’
Erivo then suggested the sequel itself was being unfairly dismissed by audiences and awards voters.
“It didn’t help,” she added, “that it felt like there was already a sort of upturned nose at the second installment, even though we all knew there was a second film coming and we were just doing our jobs.”
Cynthia Erivo as Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar – X, @hearinladotcom
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The comments immediately reignited criticism surrounding both Erivo and the increasingly bizarre public perception of the Wicked press tour, which became infamous online for emotional interviews, awkward viral moments, and what many viewers described as overly theatrical behavior from both Erivo and Grande.
At the time of Oscar nominations earlier this year, rumors circulated throughout Hollywood circles and online entertainment communities that Academy voters had grown exhausted with the nonstop Wicked publicity machine and the intensely emotional tone surrounding the cast’s media appearances.
As That Park Place previously reported, speculation intensified after both Grande and Erivo became the subject of widespread mockery online over their highly performative press tour moments and emotional interview style.
“I was also just completely turned off by their promotional performances,” one voter reportedly told News Nation. “They creeped a lot of people out and in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying.”
Critics Say Cynthia Erivo Is Refusing To Accept Audience Backlash
While no Academy member publicly confirmed the rumors surrounding the alleged snub, the narrative gained traction after Wicked: For Good underperformed both at the box office and during awards season despite Universal’s massive campaign push.
Now, Erivo’s latest comments are being interpreted by critics as sour grapes from a celebrity unwilling to accept that audiences and voters may simply not have connected with the sequel.
Cynthia Erivo in an interview – YouTube, CBS Sunday Morning
Particularly frustrating for some readers was Erivo’s suggestion that criticism of the second film amounted to audiences unfairly looking down on it despite knowing a follow-up was planned all along.
For many moviegoers, that misses the point entirely.
Audience fatigue surrounding Wicked had little to do with confusion over there being two films and far more to do with the overwhelming media saturation surrounding the franchise and Erivo herself.
A Screenshot of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the Wicked Movie Trailer, YouTube – Universal Pictures
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By the time Wicked: For Good released, audiences had already endured nearly two years of nonstop marketing, emotional cast interviews, social media discourse, awards campaigning, and viral moments that increasingly overshadowed the films themselves.
Ironically, even Variety’s own profile subtly acknowledged this reality, admitting that by the second film “every gesture became magnified” and that both the franchise and its stars had become overexposed.
Cynthia Erivo Continues Pattern Of Turning Criticism Into Larger Social Commentary
The interview also follows Erivo’s recent comments blaming online mockery surrounding the Singapore incident on “the insidious nature of how we view Black women.”
That argument itself became controversial online, with critics pointing out that much of the backlash toward the Wicked press tour centered around behavior, tone, and the intensely melodramatic nature of many interviews rather than Erivo’s race.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sing at the Oscars – YouTube, Oscars
Others defended the actress and argued that online criticism toward Erivo often became unusually personal and cruel.
Regardless, the latest interview has only reignited debate surrounding one of Hollywood’s most polarizing modern press tours — and whether the stars of Wicked ultimately became too consumed by their own mythology.
Do you think Cynthia Erivo actually chose not to campaign for an Oscar? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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