Listen, we unfortunately share this hunk of rock with a lot of hateful idiots. You know that. It’s how we got to some people complaining that the movie Wicked was too “woke.”
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Lest you think I’m exaggerating for a rhetorical flourish, please see Exhibit A) MAGA media personality Gina Loudon saying the movie was racist against white people. Oh yeah, she also claimed that Ariana Grande is “obviously a Hispanic woman,” which…she is not.
One of the more nefarious implications is that Cynthia Erivo landed the role of Elphaba because she is Black. You know, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo. Who has had an extensive career on stage and screen.
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The quote, “You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have” comes to mind.
In a new interview with Elle UK, Cynthia said, “There have definitely been conversations about me getting this role as a ‘woke hire.'”
“I had to audition, just like everybody else. And I’m glad I had to do that,” she added. “I have the credentials for it. I’ve done the work. But I’m glad they got to be sure about the choice. It allows me to take this, and to know that I had to work really hard for it.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, Cynthia spoke about opting for practical makeup for the role. “I was conscious that I didn’t want to erase the thing that I am underneath the green,” she explained. “For me, it was about using my own experience as the ‘other,’ as someone who exists in that way. So, that’s partially the reason why Elphaba has braids, as opposed to straight hair. It’s the reason why she has long nails.”
Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
“I think, because Elphaba’s otherness is about the colour of her skin, I immediately feel connected to it as a Black woman,” she continued. “The beauty is that it connects with anyone who feels like they’re the other – whether they are Black, whether they are queer, or whether they are just… different.”
Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
