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By Ian M. Giatti
Pastor blasts casting choice as ‘blasphemy’
A black LGBT-identified British actress best known for her role in “Wicked” has been tapped to play the role of Jesus in an upcoming production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Cynthia Erivo, 38, is no stranger to the longtime Broadway hit: she previously portrayed Mary Magdalene in an all-female version of “Superstar” in 2020.
But the Feb. 18 Hollywood Bowl announcement that Erivo will portray the Son of God in the musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber has drawn criticism from pastors and Christian audiences alike.
In addition to her winning Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards, Erivo is a three-time Oscar nominee, including for Best Actress and Best Original Song for the 2020 film “Harriet,” a biopic on the life of escaped slave and civil rights icon Harriet Tubman.
While Erivo attended Catholic school in London as a child, she has also been portrayed in the media as an LGBT icon: the bald actress posed wearing men’s clothing and metallic claws for a July 2022 cover of British Vogue in which she also identified as bisexual.
Erivo has also spoken about the apparent contradiction between being an LGBT-identified person and a person of faith. Last year, the actress told Elle magazine that she doesn’t let “narrow thinking” from Christians to determine how she defines faith.
“I have a deep belief that God makes people as they’re meant to be. The rules for themselves that people put upon others have nothing to do with me and my faith,” she was quoted as saying. “I can’t allow narrow thinking that some Christians or Catholics have of what faith is to affect how vast I think faith can be. Faith is so big — so much bigger than set rules.
“As time changes, we are also meant to change. If me loving someone makes you upset, then we have to refocus. I think the main rule that we’re all supposed to follow is to love one another as you would love yourself. That’s it. That’s the big overarching thing. Am I making space to care for other people, be kind to other people, be as good to other people as I would have other people be to me? If those are the things I’m following, then I think I’m following my faith.”
One of the most direct critiques came from Pastor John K. Amanchukwu Sr., who called Erivo “too bald, brown and bi[sexual]” to play Jesus, and the decision to cast her was “blasphemy.”
Amanchukwu wrote: “With all due respect, and humbly submitted, Cynthia Erivo is too BALD, BROWN, and BI to play Jesus. Casting a woman as Jesus Christ is an intentional form of blasphemy that Hollywood would be fuming over if done to certain other religions.”
Erivo isn’t the first non-traditional actor chosen for the “Superstar” role: in 2018, NBC cast pop star John Legend as the lead in “Superstar,” which aired on Easter Sunday that year.
Reactions to the 2018 production were mixed, with some critics questioning why the storyline omitted the resurrection of Christ and appeared to celebrate Judas Iscariot over Jesus.
Erivo, along with “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande, suggested the reimagining of the classic “Wizard of Oz” story contained an “inherent queerness” that “transcends sexuality.” Grande, who played the “Good Witch” Glinda in the film adaptation, told the Gay Times, “Whether it’s romantic or platonic, Glinda might be a little in the closet. It is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality.”
The depiction of same-sex attraction in “Wicked” drew condemnation from the watchdog group One Million Moms, which warned the film could potentially “desensitize” young viewers by “normalizing the [LGBT] lifestyle.”
The movie, which featured four main characters who One Million Moms noted were “openly queer or gay in real life,” represented “an attempt by Universal to normalize same-sex crushes,” the group added, suggesting that the studio has “decided to be politically correct instead of providing family-friendly programming.”
Performances for “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl are set to begin in August. “Wicked: For Good” is scheduled for release in November.