Netflix’s new documentary Queen Cleopatra, which revolves around the life of ancient Egypt's renowned queen Cleopatra has sparked controversies. The docudrama in which Cleopatra is portrayed by a black woman was released on May 10.
Know why people are angry
The controversy was sparked because of the casting choices by the makers. This has resulted in Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to criticise Netflix for selecting Adele James who has ‘African features and dark skin’ and is biracial, and releasing a lengthy statement emphasizing that ‘Queen Cleopatra had light skin and Hellenistic (Greek) features.’
Queen Cleopatra, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, stars British actor Adele James as Queen Cleopatra who has dark skin. For the uninitiated, Cleopatra VII who was the final monarch of the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and its annexation by Rome in 30 BCE.
Director Tina Gharavi’s reaction
Meanwhile, Queen Cleopatra’s director Tina Gharavi broke the silence and hit back at criticism. As per Variety, she wrote, “'I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white? With this new production, could I find the answers about Cleopatra’s heritage and release her from the stranglehold that Hollywood had placed on her image?''
She added, ''Doing the research, I realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress.'' ''For me, the idea that people had gotten it so incredibly wrong before — historically, from Theda Bara to Monica Bellucci, and recently, with Angelina Jolie and Gal Gadot in the running to play her — meant we had to get it even more right. The hunt was on to find the right performer to bring Cleopatra into the 21st century.''
She questioned people's obsession to see Cleopatra white and wrote, ''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.''
Hitting back at the backlash, the director mentioned, ''While shooting, I became the target of a huge online hate campaign. Egyptians accused me of “blackwashing” and “stealing” their history. Some threatened to ruin my career — which I wanted to tell them was laughable. I was ruining it very well for myself, thank you very much! No amount of reasoning or reminders that Arab invasions had not yet happened in Cleopatra’s age seemed to stem the tide of ridiculous comments.''
Actor Adele James’s reaction
Adele said, "If you don't like the casting, don't watch the show."
