When it comes to Defying Gravity . The Wicked Movie team and its stars had to navigate something even trickier Defying Controversy to remain popular . Welcome to the PR Breakdown , where I'm here every week to break down the buzziest PR stories making headlines .
I'm your host , molly McPherson , and in this episode we're examining how Universal Pictures and the team behind the film Wicked navigated five major controversies surrounding their record-breaking movie adaptation of the popular book Wicked . Now there are more controversies , but I picked the top five .
What makes this take particularly relevant is how it demonstrates modern crisis management in an era where social media can amplify issues within hours , even minutes , that can absolutely derail a major film release . And yes , I'm looking at you .
It ends with us the big opening week of the Colleen Hoover movie with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni , but all the bad PR that followed weeks later and still remain today . But back to Wicked . Let's dive into what happens when one of the most anticipated movies of the year faces multiple reputation threats simultaneously .
Now the fascinating part isn't just what went wrong . It's how the responses offer good lessons in contemporary crisis management . I'll give you the bottom line up front . Let's call it a spoiler . They were able to clear the fences on all of the crises .
First up , the relationship controversy when news broke about Ariana Grande's relationship with co-star Ethan Slater amid their respective divorces . Ariana Grande , of course , plays the role of Glinda the Good Witch , and Ethan Slater plays the role of Bach . He is a munchkin . Now , this is when Universal Pictures faced their first major test .
Slater and Grande met on the set of the Wicked movie . That's when we started getting a lot of buzz . Now , it began filming in December 2022 , and it was in 2023 that it was reported that Slater and Ariana Grande began dating . Ariana Grande was married to Dalton Gomez , ethan Slater was married to his high school sweetheart , lily J , and they had a son .
The response Instead of engaging with the personal narrative , I think they likely executed a strategic pivot , both from an artist's point of view and the film itself . Take a listen to an interview by Ariana Grande with E Television to get a sense of how strategy mixes with controversy .
Of course there's like an insatiable frustration , inexplicable hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love .
People have crafted their own narratives .
Yeah , the thing is , is that , like we know this about the tabloids and about the media and about like am I crazy , don't we know this ?
It was a classic dodge . She did not want to address anything directly , but indirectly she likely did , so they weren't engaging in the controversy the film . On the other hand , the team behind Wicked released behind-the-scenes footage showcasing the professional work environment on the set of Wicked . This demonstrates that personal lives weren't impacting production quality .
Everyone was a working professional . Everyone had a goal of working to produce and film and star in a popular movie . Nothing else was going to derail this movie , not even a relationship with a questionable origin story . For communicators , crisis communicators and leaders .
This controversy illustrates a fundamental principle that when faced with a personal controversy , if you redirect attention to organizational excellence rather than engaging in the speculation , you can work your way through it . And if you think about the opening week with Wicked , how many stories are there about how Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande got together ? Not many .
The salary discussion , the alleged $14 million pay gap between the lead , cynthia Erivo , and Ariana Grande , could have spiraled into a broader industry discussion about equity and also between women and women of different races .
However , universal came out with a response quickly and here it was crucial because they didn't just deny the claims , they coordinated a unified message from both actresses' teams that emphasized collaboration over competition . Spokesperson stated . Quote reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder .
The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked . This statement came out on November 26 , and it was shared by the Hollywood Reporter . Now do we believe the statement ? I'm not sure . Ariana Grande is a much bigger star . I would think that she would demand a higher paycheck . Perhaps they were being semi-truthful that maybe Ariana got more upfront .
Maybe the pay was equal . Because how do you prove it ? There's likely contracts between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo with Universal stating that there's a non-disparaging clause , that they couldn't even speak about it . In the end , it's going to be a controversy dodged .
The lesson here in any salary-related controversy , a swift , coordinated response is going to prevent speculation from damaging the credibility of an organization or a popular movie . I promise I won't sing anymore . Third Crisis the two-part release announcement . Now this one . You know this was hard to put in there .
I don't know if it was really a crisis , so to speak , but there was a lot of buzz centered around the announcement that Wicked would be split into two films . Now , in today's climate of streaming and binge watching , telling an audience that they have to wait for part two could be risky . The backlash was immediate .
Fans were questioning whether this was for the artistry or for pure profit motivation . After all , part two is coming out a year from now , same time frame , around Thanksgiving . Now , what's interesting for the response strategy was how the director , john M Chu , took ownership of the narrative .
Think about the last time you heard from a director about any controversy facing a film . Instead of letting the studio handle it , chu wrote a detailed letter that transformed the conversation from hey , they're just doing this for money to this is what artistic integrity looks like .
He shared specific examples of musical numbers and emotional moments that would benefit from the extended format . Chu emphasized that making Wicked into two films was a crucial decision . We need to make a choice with this . You cannot make a good one movie or two movies by dancing back and forth .
Commit to two movies right now , otherwise we're never making two good movies . End quote . And he further explained that splitting the film was essential to preserve the integrity of the source material .
Quote either it's not wicked and you're stripping out all these songs , or you're changing the story so much that it's not going to be the wicked that you want end quote . So , for crisis communicators , what's the lesson ? This response demonstrates the power of letting the right spokesperson take the lead .
Sometimes it's not about what PR says , it's about who's doing the talking . To use a statement around artistic integrity and to have that statement come from the director . It's going to be a powerful statement and it's one that worked . Fourth crisis the social media archive issue with Cynthia Erivo's past tweets , of course , cynthia playing the part of Elphaba .
Back in 2019 , cynthia Erivo had to address the backlash over comments she made during the press run for Harriet , and this was a biopic based on the life of Harriet Tubman . She was starring in the role of Harriet Tubman .
Now Erivo , who is British , came under fire for tweets from back in 2013 , which appeared to be mocking black Americans , given that Harriet Tubman is a prominent historical figure in American history . If you took American history in school , everyone learned about Harriet Tubman .
Some of the backlash came from people feeling that a British actress shouldn't take a role of Harriet Tubman . Also the casting of someone with a somewhat controversial social media presence Through a series of tweets . There was one particular tweet from Cynthia Erivo that is still trailing her today , where she refers to ghetto American accent .
Erivo claimed that those tweets were taken out of context . She said , quote I would say it took a lot of hard work to get to this place , meaning playing Harriet Tubman , and I didn't take it lightly . Erivo said , quote I love this woman and I love black people . Full stop , it would do me no service .
It would be like hating myself Rather than deploying the standard that was a long time ago defense . The narrative that was crafted spoke to the hard work it took for her to get where she needed to be as a black actress . People can understand what she was trying to say .
It is difficult enough for any actress , much less a black actress , to get where she is . It's a little bit of reading between the lines . She came right out . When people say full stop , it can be effective . What Erivo did was turn a potential reputation crisis into a moment that actually reinforced what she stood for .
So she didn't just manage the crisis , she made the crisis work for her , and that's not an easy thing to do . However , one could say the tweets resurfaced once again , but it certainly did not bring her down . And the fifth crisis ? I'm calling it the theater experience controversy .
I added this one into the mix because it involved fans and it had a lot of traction on social media . Amc theaters found themselves in the middle of what I call a fan culture collision . They had to balance safety protocols with fan enthusiasm .
The controversy erupted when theaters began turning away fans wearing green face paint , a tradition deeply embedded in Wicked's fan culture .
You can imagine what the problem was . Take a listen . Film's release . Some were even filming this frustrating moment and sharing it on TikTok . Amc has strict rules against face paint and singing during the movie , aiming to keep the experience smooth for everyone . Yet star Cynthia Erivo thinks singing along should be welcomed . So what's the verdict ?
Should you dress up in full character or play it safe with just popcorn ?
Social media quickly filled with videos of disappointed fans washing off their makeup in theater bathrooms . Add to this the strict no-sigging policy , complete with a pre-show warning about wailing , and you've got a perfect storm of fan frustration .
Instead of digging in their heels , amc and other theaters , along with Universal , collaborated on a solution that would become a masterclass and stakeholder compromise . They announced special interactive screenings starting on December 25th , where fans could fully embrace their inner Elphaba face paint , singing and all .
And what makes this response particularly brilliant is how they acknowledge both sides of the debate . They maintain their safety protocols for standard screenings , while creating a dedicated space for the super fans to fully express their enthusiasm . So this wasn't just crisis management , it was opportunity creation .
So this demonstrates three crucial crisis communication principles . One , sometimes the best response isn't defending your policy , it's creating alternatives . Two , when facing competing stakeholder needs , look for ways to serve both . And three , turn operational challenges into opportunities for enhanced customer experience .
Let me wrap this up with the biggest takeaway from Wicked's wild ride through crisis management . And here's the thing about managing crisis in 2024 . It's not just about putting out fires anymore . The Wicked team showed us that sometimes it's about turning those fires into spotlight moments .
They didn't just survive these controversies , they turned them into opportunities to show what the show was made of . Think about it this way they played their responses like a Broadway conductor watching Idina and Kristen on stage as Glenda and Elphaba .
They knew exactly when to let the crisis play out , when to jump in with the response and when to change the tune entirely . Every move was timed , but none of it felt staged , and that's the sweet spot in crisis management . But here's the real magic . Okay , yes , pun absolutely intended there . They never lost sight of what matters the trust in their audience .
I think they knew that they were handling an audience of super fans . I liken them to Swifties when there is so much love and passion for a project , they needed to handle the drama with finesse . So , whether it was face paint or handling relationships , each response added another layer to their story instead of trying to erase it .
So here's the big takeaway you don't need to be perfect , you just need to be authentic . You need to be timely . You need to be smart about how you engage with your stakeholders , because it's not avoiding every potential crisis . It's about handling them in ways that makes your audience trust you more , not less . It's standing up to potential backlash .
Sometimes , the best crisis response isn't about defying yes , I'm going to say it gravity . Crisis response isn't about define yes , I'm going to say it gravity . It's about staying grounded in your values while finding creative ways to soar above the chaos . And that's this episode of the PR Breakdown .
Until next time , keep it strategic and maybe a little bit wicked .