By Johanna Gardener •
Published: 28 Nov 2024 • 19:58
• 2 minutes read
Cynthia Erivo plays the green-skinned witch but UK regulators say there are scenes of racism
Credit:X:@wicked update
The recent release of movie fantasy musical Wicked has had fans on the edge of their seats yet now UK regulators are claiming that the film is discriminatory towards different skin colours and those with disabilities.
The latest best-selling movie musical “Wicked” has hit the box office ferociously well. The musical fantasy starring singer, Ariana Grande, has had people waiting for its release for months as the original Broadway show finally hits the big screen.
Discrimination in Wicked: scenes show bullying of green-skinned witch
Bullying of the green-skinned witch during scenes from Wicked has been labelled as “discrimination” by UK regulators. In its classification breakdown, the organisation claims that there are scenes where discrimination against a woman with green skin is depicted. They described how she is “mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour.” To make matters worse, they also highlight a moment where a disabled woman is being “treated in a condescending manner by able-bodied people” and talking animals being “persecuted in a fantastical society.”
All this “bullying”, as conceived by certain viewers, all takes place within a film which is meant to serve as a prequel to the 1939 favourite classic, The Wizard of Oz and has often been billed as “the untold story” of Elphaba and Glinda. It tells the story of the origins of Elphaba, the witch in the Wizard of OZ, who due to her green skin, is misunderstood by society and becomes the victim of scorn and attack by the rulers of Oz.
Cynthia Erivo plays the green-skinned witch and assimilates role
British theatre star Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba in the film alongside US singer, Ariana Grande who takes on the role of her classmate, Glinda. Regarding the green-skinned role, Erivo told US chat show, The View, that feeling like an outsider and “not fitting in” made her warm to the character. She said: “I hope that people see Elphaba and understand if they feel different, and if they feel like they’re on the outside, that that only makes them more special.”
The BBFC, who classified the film as PG, has confirmed that the film does contain some violence, detail of injury and occasional scenes which could feel threatening including “fantastical creatures and human guards chasing after two women.”
Despite this, the blockbuster has taken off with shining colours, outrunning Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru and achieiving the biggest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue International. Both Erivo, 37 and Grande, 31, paid homage to the original Broadway production and chose their outfits accordingly.
It remains to be seen whether movie goers across the world will feel the same sense of discrimination as UK regulators and whether the film will turn into something that lives by its namesake.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Written by
Johanna Gardener
Originally from Manchester, UK and with a degree in English with Modern Foreign Languages, she has been a permanent resident in Spain for the past 12 years. Many of these years, she has spent working as a secondary school teacher, as well as in journalism, editing and marketing. She currently lives in the historic centre of Malaga, where she enjoys writing, walking and animals.
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Almeria, Axarquia, Costa Blanca North, Costa Blanca South, Costa del Sol , Costa Calida, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
