Netflix’s upcoming series, Queen Cleopatra, has been making headlines due to the portrayal of the legendary Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. The famous monarch’s identity has been debated for several centuries however the company’s decision to portray the Queen as of African descent in the upcoming series is now offending the Egyptians.
Amid the growing discontentment, the series director, Tina Gharavi addressed the criticism and somehow ended up commenting on HBO’s hit series, Rome.
Queen Cleopatra Director Commented on The Queen’s Portrayal in Rome Series
Amid the growing complaints over the ethnicity of the first-century Egyptian ruler, who is portrayed by Adele James in the upcoming show, director, Tina Gharavi is not letting anything slide.
Addressing the backlash, she opened up about feeling something was not right when she remembered Elizabeth Taylor portraying the iconic Queen Cleopatra.
She further added that the leading actress who portrays the Queen in the upcoming series would be fit for the role as she “could convey not only Cleopatra’s beauty but also her strength.” She even shared that historians can confirm that the Queen more likely looked like the former than Taylor.
Having said that, she also realized “the magnitude and political nature of this job” as she opened up about getting things right.
She continued,
“The last thing we needed was another Cleopatra divorced from her womanhood and her power only sexualized.
She added how HBO hit series, Rome portrayed the Queen as an addict which Egyptians didn’t question however portraying her as black is getting much attention.
“The HBO series “Rome” portrayed one of the most intelligent, sophisticated and powerful women in the world as a sleazy, dissipated drug addict, yet Egypt didn’t seem to mind. Where was the outrage then? But portraying her as Black?”
The current casting has now outraged many with claims of Blackwashing the country’s rich history.
Controversy Surrounding The Ethnicity of Queen Cleopatra!
Depicting the Queen as black has enraged Egyptians with a lawyer filing a complaint accusing Jada Pinkett Smith’s African Queens: Queen Cleopatra of erasing “the Egyptian identity”.
In addition to that, they have also demanded Netflix be blocked in the country. Not just netizens but historians are also expressing their anger towards the upcoming series with an archeologist stating, “Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black.”
While the legendary ruler’s ethnicity continues to channel several opinions, Queen Cleopatra is set to premiere on May 10. 2023.
Source: Variety
