“Divine Controversy: Why Cynthia Erivo’s Jesus Casting Is Sparking Outrage Among Fans!”
Image credits: Clear Space Theatre
The religious figure was also played by a Black actor in a 2018 version of the musical, with John Legend taking on the role for the NBC live-action remake.
While the announcement proved divisive, fans of Erivo looked forward to hearing her sing again after delivering an award-winning performance in Wicked.
Detractors condemned the casting choice, believing it to be motivated primarily by political reasons
Image credits: The Shows Must Go On!
Erivo, who is currently in the race to become Best Actress at the 2025 Oscars, said that her role as Elphaba allowed her to portray the struggles of being a “Black woman when nobody wants you there.”
Specifically, the actress said that the witch’s green skin symbolically made her the “ultimate other,” being queer not just in terms of sexuality but in a broader sense of not being able to fit in with societal expectations.
Image credits: Wikimedia
“It’s a conversation about racism, but it’s also a conversation about anyone who’s been othered. It’s a conversation about queerness,” she said in an interview.
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live
Her detractors, on the other hand, felt the actress was using the intellectual property to further an agenda of her own and argued similar points when her casting as Jesus was announced.
“In reverse, it would be cultural and gender appropriation! Hollywood should be ashamed,” one user wrote.
“Wait, so Jesus was female and Black? I thought Jesus came from a Middle Eastern descent,” another stated.
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