Earlier this year it was announced that filmmaker Patty Jenkins will team up again with longtime associate Gal Gadot for a biographical drama centered on the life of Queen Cleopatra. Gadot, who is Israeli by birth, has been accused of playing the role of Cleopatra away from Arab or African actresses who could better portray the monarch who was believed to be from the Middle East. Speaking to BBC Arabic, as reported by The Independent, Gadot defended her decision to investigate the role.
“First of all, if you’re going to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress who could match Cleopatra. She wasn’t there and I was very passionate about Cleopatra. I have friends from all over the globe, whether Muslims or Christians or Catholics or atheists or Buddhists or of course Jews. People are people, and with me I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historical icon that I admire so much. You know, anyone can make this movie and anyone can go on and do it. I am very passionate that I will make my own too. “
Controversies over Hollywood’s color-blind fascination with Cleopatra are nothing new. Elizabeth Taylor played the historical character directed by Joseph Mankiewicz from 1963 Cleopatraand the film has since been viewed as race insensitive. Newer projects based on the Egyptian monarch had names like Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga circling the part, but those projects ultimately failed.
Gadot’s defense of her casting as Cleopatra is unlikely to go down well with her critics. The actress appears to be implying that there were no actresses available who were of Cleopatra’s ethnicity, which resulted in Gadot taking on the role himself. This is the same excuse Hollywood used in the past when it cast Christian Bale as Moses in 2014 Exodus: gods and kingsor Scarlet Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi in the 2017s Ghost in the shell.
This isn’t the first time Gal Gadot found himself on the wrong side of a cultural conversation. Earlier this year, in the midst of the global blockade as economies around the world were collapsing and the threat of recession looming, Gadot decided to collaborate with her celebrity friends on playing the song “Imagine” by John Lennon as a gesture in solidarity with the people who face difficulties in isolation at home.
Unfortunately, the performance was viewed as deaf and Gadot and her millionaire friends were accused of neglecting the gritty reality faced by poverty-stricken people struggling to get through the lockdown. The actress acknowledged the backlash against her “Imagine” video but reiterated that her intentions were pure.
“Sometimes, you know, you try to do a good deed and it just isn’t the right good deed. I had nothing but good intentions and it came from the best of places and I just wanted to send light and love into the world.”
It will be interesting to see if Gadot will continue her decision to investigate the role of Cleopatra or to step aside and give an actress with the appropriate ethnic background a chance. Given Hollywood’s track record, maybe not hold your breath for the latter. This message comes from the Independently.
Subjects: Cleopatra