‘Wonder Woman’ faces harsh criticism
14th October 2020: Gal Gadot is ready to play ‘Cleopatra’, Queen of Egypt, in an upcoming film by Patty Jenkins. Gadot has worked with Jenkins before on the blockbuster movie “Wonder Woman.”
The Israeli actress announced it on her Twitter account:
As you might have heard I teamed up with @PattyJenks and @LKalogridis to bring the story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, to the big screen in a way she’s never been seen before. To tell her story for the first time through women's eyes, both behind and in front of the camera. pic.twitter.com/k5eyTIfzjB
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) October 12, 2020
Writer Laeta Kalogridis will also be working work on the Cleopatra film, shared Gal Gadot in her tweet on Sunday. Cleopatra’s story will be brought to the big screen “in a way she’s never been seen before,” Gadot described, “To tell her story for the first time through women’s eyes, both behind and in front of the camera.”
Gadot took notice of the fact that her announcement came on a significant day – International Day of the Girl. “We hope women and girls all around the world, who aspire to tell stories will never give up on their dreams and will make their voices heard, by and for other women,” she shared in another tweet.
While Gadot’s tweets received more than 25,000 “likes,” the casting faced heavy criticism. Many people commented that Gadot, who is Israeli, should not play a ruler of Egypt, and they accused the casting as “whitewashing.”
“Can’t wait to boycott this whitewashing disaster, so many wrongs!” wrote Wael Mansour, a host and singer from Egypt.
“Gal.. I’m a fan. As a black, female, Environmental Safety Scientist, this is a EXCELLENT example of why I can’t break into some scientific circles.. #WhiteWashing. Cleopatra was an AFRICAN Egyptian and was likely of colour,” Gwen K. Lynn replied to Gadot’s tweet.
Gal.. I'm a fan. As a black, female, Environmental Safety Scientist, this is a EXCELLENT example of why I can't break into some scientific circles.. #WhiteWashing. Cleopatra was an AFRICAN Egyptian and was likely of color.
— Gwen Lynn, MSci. (@inagreenminute) October 12, 2020
“That’s cool but shouldn’t be a person with Egyptian roots?” said another tweet, which was shared on Instagram by a publication for Gen Z and millennial Muslims.
However, others debated that Cleopatra was Macedonian Greek, as she was a ruler of Egypt but was part of a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, who was a general under Alexander the Great during his conquest of Egypt.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGNx6dZAOSC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“Cleopatra was neither African nor Egyptian. She was Greek. And she’s been portrayed on-screen by Elizabeth Taylor, Claudette Colbert, Geneviève Bujold, among others. Charleston Heston and Richard burton portrayed Roman Marc Anthony and no one made a peep,” wrote one Twitter user.
Stacy Schiff, author of “Cleopatra: A Life,” shared with NBC News, “there’s next to no chance that Cleopatra had anything other than Greek Macedonian blood.” Schiff explained that at least 10 of the 15 or so Ptolemaic marriages that preceded Cleopatra’s were amongst siblings and that two others were between blood relatives.
Nonetheless, Cleopatra ruled ancient Egypt for almost three decades as co-regent, hence numerous people argue that she should be played by someone with Egyptian lineage.
“I know Egyptians who took DNA tests and came back with significant Greek markers,” tweeted Margari Aziza, co-founder and executive director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, a California-based organization focused on racial justice.
“This Cleopatra movie is not going to do well in the Egypt, the country where it based, because of the politics of the actress. But wypipo don’t care about the cultural sensitivities of North Africans,” she continued in another tweet.
This Cleopatra movie is not going to do well in the Egypt, the country where it based, because of the politics of the actress. But wypipo don’t care about the cultural sensitivities of North Africans.
— Margari Hill (@Margari_Aziza) October 11, 2020
“My tweet was in solidarity with Egyptian people who deserve some autonomy in the narratives about their history. It’s not about your weird racial logic that is based on some 19th-century eugenics,” Aziza wrote.
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