“Why shouldn’t Cleopatra be a melanated sister?”: Queen Cleopatra Director Fed Up of Repeat White Castings Like Gal Gadot, Angelina Jolie, Monica Bellucci for the Role

Stories about female leaders are always empowering to witness. Filmmaker Tina Gharavi is all set to tell the story of the great female leader, Queen Cleopatra. Currently, the movie is surrounded by controversy regarding the complexion of the queen. Queen Cleopatra was an Egyptian ruler, and the citizens of Egypt are not so happy with the casting of the film. The role of the Queen is portrayed by British actress Adele James.

It is claimed by the citizens of Egypt that Cleopatra was Greek, hence she was blonde, not black. A lawyer from Egypt has sued the Netflix film as the lead protagonist does not resemble their former ruler. On the contrary, the director of the film has a different ideology related to the character of Queen Cleopatra.

What is the controversy surrounding the film Queen Cleopatra?

Queen Cleopatra is an upcoming Netflix film directed by Tina Gharavi, starring Adele James as Queen Cleopatra. The film is set for worldwide release on May 10, 2023, exclusively on Netflix. But it seems like Netflix won’t be able to make it to a worldwide release as an Egyptian lawyer has appealed for a Netflix ban in Egypt.

Queen Cleopatra was an Egyptian ruler who was in power from 51–30 BCE. The citizens of Egypt have a different perspective on their ruler’s appearance, which does not resemble that of Netflix’s character. According to Egypt’s former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass, Queen Cleopatra was Greek, which means that she was blonde, not black. He said,

“The depiction of Cleopatra is completely fake.”

The Egyptians are offended by the casting of the film, as it misleads Egyptian identity.

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The whole scenario has affected the lead actress, James, as she has been targeted in this dudgeon of racial discrimination. The 27-year-old actress has been facing racist and abusive messages on Twitter. The actress bravely responded to all the trolls as she stated,

“If you don’t like the casting don’t watch the show. Or do & engage in (expert) opinion different to yours.”

https://twitter.com/Adele_JJames/status/1646434915976634371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1646434915976634371%7Ctwgr%5Ee3317b2d4701cefa1fb0e3720983f0a05caad291%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fegypt-lawyer-calls-for-netflix-ban-over-biracial-cleopatra-casting-2023-4

Netflix also raised its opinion on this controversy and said,

“We don’t often get to see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!”

The story of Queen Cleopatra is about a great leader who governed Roman politics during a crucial period. According to Egyptologist Wojciech Ejsmond, the Queen wasn’t dark in complexion, but he questioned if her appearance really mattered.

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What is Tina Gharavi’s opinion on the Queen Cleopatra controversy?

Recently, the director of the film, Tina Gharavi, slammed everyone who criticized the casting of Queen Cleopatra in the film. Gharavi shared her opinion on the casting of the film in an essay for Variety. According to Gharavi, while growing up, she watched Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, and though she appreciated her in the role, she was never convinced that the Queen was as fair as Taylor.

After researching Cleopatra’s character, Gharavi wanted to experiment with having Cleopatra played by a black actress, unlike the previous movies based on her character that featured actresses like Theda Bara, Monica Bellucci, Angelina Jolie, and Gal Gadot. In her essay, Gharavi emphasized,

“Why shouldn’t Cleopatra be a melanated sister? And why do some people need Cleopatra to be white? Her proximity to whiteness seems to give her value, and for some Egyptians, it seems to really matter.”

The filmmaker defended the casting of the documentary series and stated that Adele James was the right choice for the role as she resembled Cleopatra more than Elizabeth Taylor. The main focus of Gharavi’s film is not just Cleopatra’s beauty but also her strength.

The documentary series Queen Cleopatra will mark its release on Netflix on May 10.

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Source: Variety