Cynthia Erivo, an actress best known for her recent role in “Wicked,” recently spoke out about being cast in the titular role of the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” for a three-night production at the Hollywood Bowl, casting that some described as “blasphemous.”
However, in response to the criticism of her casting, Erivo simply laughed in an interview with Billboard on June 2, 2025, dismissing the claims of blasphemy and saying that she felt there was no reason that she should not play Jesus, adding that the stage at The Hollywood Bowl during a musical was, in her opinion, “The Gayest Place on Earth.”
When Billboard’s Stephen Daw asked Erivo about the backlash from conservative Christians to her being cast as Christ, she said, “Why not?” adding, “You can’t please everyone.” The actress, who describes herself as queer, added, “It is legitimately a three-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl where I get to sing my face off. So hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.”
Moreover, in the same interview, Erivo said that she was one of the headlining acts in the WorldPride concert in Washington, D.C., one of the largest gay pride celebrations in the country. Erivo explained that when performing, she wants to “encourage people to not decide to just tuck away and start hiding and not being themselves anymore, because that is exactly what they want.”
When Erivo’s casting as Jesus was announced by the press on February 18, 2025, the backlash came swiftly on social media, with one Christian on X reportedly calling the casting choice “disgusting,” and adding, “They are just trying to make a Mockery of Christianity.” Another added, “Cynthia should be more careful about the roles she gets. This is just plain disrespectful.”
In addition, Christian pastor John K. Amanchukwu, Sr., also criticized the casting on X on February 18, saying, “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.”
In response to the pastor’s post on X, commenters spoke out both in support of and against Erivo’s casting, with author Lisa Pease writing, “Jesus would have professed his honor at the incredible Cynthia Erivo portraying him. Unlike his so-called ‘followers,’ Jesus never spoke ill of LGBT people. He taught us to love each other as ourselves.” She added, “Cynthia will be brilliant as Jesus. I can’t wait!”
On the other hand, one X user, who explicitly said that they were “not even Christian,” expressed that they were equally offended by the casting choice, saying that while they “absolutely loved her in Wicked,” Erivo’s casting as Jesus was “all about Hollywood sticking their thumb in the eyes of Chrsitianity.” Another user chimed in, “Hopefully Cynthia learns something and repents. Maybe not.”
Watch coverage of Erivo’s response to the backlash:
Featured image credit: Screengrab from the embedded video