Fixed It For You – Why Women’s Names Were Scribbled On The Current War Poster

There were six faces and four names until a feminist vigilante stepped up

The Current War

by Emily Watkins |
Updated on

After posters for summer blockbuster The Current War appeared at London’s underground stations back in July, some eagle-eyed commuters noticed a discrepancy. The artwork featured six famous faces, but only four names – until now, that is.

To catch you up: all the actors officially listed on the poster were men. And the ones they skipped? Both women, actually. Yeah. As such, it gives me great pleasure to report that the staggering oversight has lately been corrected: an as-yet anonymous feminist (step forward, you Queen Amongst Women) has graffitied Katherine Waterston and Tuppence Middleton’s names into their rightful places, documented in a photo now circulating online. Fixed it for you.

After taking a moment to remind everyone of the year we’re inhabiting (2019. 2019.), Twitter had some pretty hot takes. One user simply wrote ‘I'm so tired of this notion that white men are more important than anyone else. Enough already’, while another suggested ‘I think you need to sack your publicists and employ the graffiti artist who fixed your poster @currentwarmovie’. A personal favourite, from CNHS Film Club, noted: ‘“Power Changes Everything” says the tagline of The Current War. But ironically couldn't generate enough energy to include the names of the two female stars, Tuppence [Middleton] and Katherine Waterston, on the poster alongside the four male stars.’

Quite. This latest storm follows backlash against a promotional clip from the film circulated on social media, which – wait for it! – showed only the male characters talking.The Current War might be set in 1879, but that’s no excuse to market it under 19th century gender politics – thanks to Mystery Scribbler for bringing its campaign into the 21st.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, actors Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and executive producer Michael Mitnick attend 'The Current War' press conference
©Getty

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