![]() It was important to get things right, but also to find a way of telling the story with humanism and nuance: The last thing we needed was another Cleopatra divorced from her womanhood and her power only sexualized. What the historians can confirm is that it is more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor ever did.Īs production got nearer, I realized the magnitude and political nature of this job. 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.Īfter much hang-wringing and countless auditions, we found in Adele James an actor who could convey not only Cleopatra’s beauty, but also her strength. The hunt was on to find the right performer to bring Cleopatra into the 21st century. 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. Both are one generation from Greece.ĭoing the research, I realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress. She was no more Greek or Macedonian than Rita Wilson or Jennifer Aniston. After 300 years, surely, we can safely say Cleopatra was Egyptian. ![]() Cleopatra was eight generations away from these Ptolemaic ancestors, making the chance of her being white somewhat unlikely. The known facts are that her Macedonian Greek family - the Ptolemaic lineage - intermarried with West Asian’s Seleucid dynasty and had been in Egypt for 300 years. ![]() Born in Iran, I am a Persian, and Cleopatra’s heritage has been attributed at one time or another to the Greeks, the Macedonians and the Persians. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |