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Fans Cry Foul After Interviewer Presses Cynthia Erivo About Being 'Tough' Despite Her Discomfort
Throughout the promotion of the first film, Wicked, there were racist comments made about a Black actress portraying Elphaba, as well as Cynthia Erivo's portrayal of Elphaba with her long, decorated nails and microbraids.
Erivo's treatment in the public eye has worsened in the last few weeks after Wicked: For Good's red carpet premiere in Singapore, when an aggressive fan broke through the security line and grabbed Ariana Grande. Erivo was the first to respond by putting her body between Grande and the fan and yelling at the fan to leave her friend alone.
Since the incident in Singapore, a concerning amount of commentary has circulated about Cynthia Erivo's body type, her muscle definition, her interests in weight training and running, and her role as a protector. These comments have not been complimentary; they're racial microaggressions, suggesting a lesser role of Erivo as the protector and Grande as the successful performer.
An unidentified interviewer at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival played into this when he repeatedly and condescendingly asked Erivo about her "toughness."
Historically, Black women have often had their needs dismissed, and they've been labeled as "tough," "masculine," and "aggressive," both to accuse them of overreacting to racist comments and actions and to justify their mistreatment under the guise that they can "handle it."
In Erivo's case, the emphasis has shifted from her talent, accomplishments, and her love for music and theater to something much more limiting: her ability to protect and comfort her costar.
As his final question, the interviewer asked:
"When did you know you were tough?"
Erivo looked surprised and tried to downplay it:
"Am I?"
The interviewer pushed the subject:
"I think so."
Erivo changed the word choice:
"I mean, I think I'm strong."
The interviewer downplayed her comment.
"Tough and strong?"
Erivo attempted to give a nuanced answer, while her PR representative looked on.
"I think I'm strong. I think I'm vulnerable. I think I'm a myriad of different things."
The interview would not let go of the dismissive "tough" narrative.
"A protector, too? I mean, you're tough. You're a tough person. You're strong."
Erivo attempted to stick with her nuanced answer.
"I think I'm strong, and I think I also can be protective, too."
"You know what I mean? I think we can be both. I think it's okay for us to be both strong, protected, and protective; that's okay."
The interviewer finally got the hint and ended the interview.
You can watch the clip here:
Viewers on Twitter (X) were furious on Erivo's behalf.
@_branmaraj/Twitter (X)
The interview also spread to the "popculturechat" subReddit, where Redditors were saddened to see Erivo's accomplishments diminished in this way.
"It's crazy because she comes across as such a soft, feminine woman to me. But as a Black woman, I know what they mean with 'tough.'" - Charmy1989
"That incredible moment where she protected a friend and someone she cares about from being further attacked by a creep ended up being something people use to be racist s**tbags to her. It’s absolutely disgusting. But considering the internet, unsurprising." - Bellesdiner0228
"I don’t understand the conflicting labels on the internet for her?!! On some days, she is called tough, which has racist connotations, and on other days, she is 'worryingly skinny.' It’s like Women of Color simply cannot win!"
"I never followed the 'Wicked' press tour last year, and her 'Actors on Actors' interview with Angelina was the very first time I got to see her real-life personality. She came across as such an elegant, graceful woman who exhibited tremendous humility. There was nothing remotely unlikeable about her." - MissusCrispyCole
"As a Black woman, this kind of rhetoric is so exhausting. Stop trying to masculinize us unless we are specifically looking for it! Nobody would ask this question of her co-star. Go look at the recent drawings and memes coming out of this situation. She’s getting flak and racist responses for helping defend her co-star. It’s disgusting." - noexqses
"This person really tried it. The amount of scrutiny and racist jokes Black Queer women face has gone on for too long. It needs to be called out, and we should put a stop to it."
"Because what I saw in that press moment was a woman protecting another woman who was being harassed. My first thought was, 'I’d want a friend like Cynthia,' because there’s nothing like having a friend who makes you feel safe. So to twist this into dragging a woman down is unacceptable." - johnny_charms
Since the original Wicked tour, Erivo and Grande have openly celebrated the multitudes that can be found in people if we're willing to look for them. Grande pointed out during her first lie detector test that she believes that we all have "goodness and wickedness within" us in various amounts, which is part of what makes us human and what individualizes us.
This aligns beautifully with what Erivo said during this interview, pointing out that we can be "both." Sometimes we're going to be vulnerable, or funny, or serious, or angry, all of which is okay and part of what makes us human, not what makes us "more" or "less" than those around us.
JD Vance Dragged After Telling Crude Story About The Size Of His Manhood—And It's TMI To The Extreme
Vance said:
“Today I'm in the Oval Office with the President and Marco Rubio, and we're talking about something really important. The President kind of holds up his hand and says, ‘no, no, no, hold on a second. There's something much more important. Shoes.’”
“He peers over the Resolute desk and he says, Marco, JD, you guys have sh***y shoes. He goes out and grabs a catalog. There happens to be another politician in the room I won't say who, and you'll find out why in a second."
"And he actually runs us through this incredible shoe catalog. The President is gifting us with four pairs of shoes.”
“He says, Marco, what's your shoe size? And Marco's apparently an eleven and a half. He says, JD, what's your shoe size? My shoe size is 13. I asked this politician, who I won't embarrass, what his shoe size is, and he says, seven."
"The President leans back in his chair and says, you know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
The cringe was real and the mockery was immediate.
@badbusterboy/X
@Kanieh57/X
The claim that penis size and shoe size are correlated is one of the most persistent sex myths.
A 2002 study commissioned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) actually determined that there was "no statistically significant correlation between shoe size and stretched penile length."
The study found that "the median stretched penile length for the sampled population was 13 cm and the median UK shoe size was 9 (European 43)."
All in all, the study concluded that "the supposed association of penile length and shoe size has no scientific basis."
Sorry, JD.
Tim Walz's Daughter Has Blunt Wakeup Call For Don Jr. After He Agrees With MAGA Calling Her Dad Ableist Slur
Trump claimed that Minnesota, home to the country's largest Somali community, is full of “Somalian gangs" whose members "are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
The president's use of the R-word slur has also struck a sore spot considering Governor Walz's son Gus has ADHD, a nonverbal learning disorder, and an anxiety disorder. Supporters of Americans with learning disabilities believe the Walz family's candidness about their son has brought much-needed awareness, potentially benefiting others facing similar challenges.
Trump Jr. replied that critics are "not wrong" in response to a right-wing account's post featuring a video of Governor Walz mentioning that he has "yet to hear from a Republican official" condemning the actions of conservatives who've driven by his house to call him the R-word.
@DonaldJTrumpJr/X
And Hope Walz stepped up, saying:
"It is so clear that your dad does not love you and if there is love there, it's not for your compassion, like how my dad loves me, but instead your cruelty. That's not love. I genuinely feel sad that you and your family feel the need to degrade and put down large swaths of the country in an attempt to make yourselves feel better."
"My family and I will always be richer than yours—always—because we don't find joy in this. We find joy in each other and spending time together and doing quality good things for this world together, not tearing people down."
"Those daddy issues are so, so clear and I genuinely feel sad for you. I really do hope you get the help you need. In the meantime, I'm going to keep building up that joy and love and happiness with my family because at the end of the day, that's what matters."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
In a separate, since-deleted post, Hope Walz called out the president's rhetoric, saying it's "unleashed a f**king storm" of horrible behavior toward her family—and in particular her brother.
She said:
"I’m talking about this because while my family and I are always gonna be the bigger people, the president calling my dad what he did has unleashed a f**king storm regarding offensive language towards me and my family and specifically my brother."
"I have people DMing me saying absolutely horrendous things. When I was home last week, somebody drove by and screamed that we were R-words. What world are we f**king living in.... Shame on you. All of you."
“You can call me whatever you want, you can call my dad, my mom, when it’s Gus, f**k to the no. He dealt with people calling him that last August and now there’s a resurgence? No."
You can see her video below.
Others have echoed her criticisms.
Trump himself is unrepentant, telling a reporter that he thinks there is "something wrong with" Governor Walz and declining to apologize for using what many Americans consider an offensive slur.
Over Thanksgiving, he defended his use of the slur by framing it within the context of his immigration crackdown, saying leftists have allowed the country "to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World, for being 'Politically Correct,' and just plain STUPID, when it comes to Immigration."