Cynthia Erivo defends 'passionate' clapback over Wicked movie poster

Cynthia Erivo has defended her online clapback over a fan edit to the Wicked movie poster.

The Broadway star explained her reaction to a fan's edit of her photo on the Wicked movie poster, explaining it showed how "passionate" she is about the project.

"I think I'm really protective of the role," Cynthia, 37, told Entertainment Tonight. "I am passionate about it and I know that the fans are passionate about it, and I think for me it was just a human moment of wanting to protect little Elphaba."

The edit in question saw the poster, which originally featured Cynthia in her character Elphaba's trademark black witch's hat, altered so that her face was largely obscured by the hat's brim. The change brought the imagery in line with the original poster of the adapted Broadway musical.

When she first saw the doctored picture on social media, Cynthia penned a fiery response expressing her indignation at having her face covered.

"This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful Ai (sic) of us fighting, equal to people posing the question 'is your ***** green'," Cynthia wrote. "None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us."

The response triggered mixed reactions from fans, with some arguing she was in the right, while others felt the upset was unwarranted, claiming the updated poster was merely an homage to the original.

Now, Cynthia has brushed off the controversy.

"I probably should have called my friends (before posting a reaction), but it's fine," she added.