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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.
Also Read:“She was no more Greek than Jennifer Aniston”: Queen Cleopatra Director Defends Casting Black Actress After Jada Pinkett-Smith Asked Her to Make Black-Centric Movie
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
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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,Romeportrayed 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!
Also Read:“We don’t get to see stories about Black queens”: Will Smith Lands in More Trouble After Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’ Gets Blasted by Historians to Appease Woke Crowd
Depicting the Queen as black has enraged Egyptians with a lawyer filing a complaint accusing Jada Pinkett Smith’sAfrican Queens:Queen Cleopatraof 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 Cleopatrais set to premiere on May 10. 2023.
Source:Variety
Priya Sharma
Articles Published :1321
Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.
