Gal Gadot to play Cleopatra

Israeli actress Gal Gadot has been slammed on social media after she was cast to play Cleopatra in the upcoming historical epic about the iconic Egyptian queen.  The 35-year-old on Sunday confirmed she will play the titular role in a new movie after Paramount Pictures won the rights to the film in a bidding war between Universal, Warner Bros., Apple and Netflix.

The casting however, immediately drew outrage from confused social media users who wrongly assumed Cleopatra was black and North African. Critics argued it was inappropriate for Gadot, a white Israeli woman, to play such a role and suggested the part be given to an African or black actress instead.  

The outrage was met with ridicule by other social media users who were quick to point out the Egyptian ruler was actually ethnically Greek or Persian.  ‘Cleopatra was NOT black, she was of Greek descent, and there are even effigies of the time on how she looked like. People need to stop trying to rewrite history with the SJW stupidity of today,’ one user tweeted.

‘People are upset because Gal Gadot, who isn’t black, is playing Cleopatra, who wasn’t black either,’ Journalist Ian Miles Cheong quipped.  Cleopatra is known as the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in ancient Egypt before her death in 30 BC. 

While she was born in Egypt, she was the daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, a member of the Macedonian Greek royal family that ruled Egypt for 275 years, meaning Cleopatra was most likely fair-skinned.   In books and paintings, she was often depicted to have ivory skin, which was also seen in depictions Roman and Ptolemaic goddesses at the time.  

The casting nonetheless stirred up negative reactions on Twitter, sparking a debate on the queen’s background.  ‘I’m going to say this once and I’m not going to say it again, Cleopatra was Greek. Yes, she was an Egyptian ruler but she was Greek with Persian and Syrian ancestry. The people who are reacting negatively to this are uneducated and uninformed. Gal Gadot deserves this role,’ another user said.  Rita Panahi, an Iranian Australian columnist, slammed user Sameera Khan who called Gadot ‘bland looking’ after she criticised Hollywood directors’ decision to cast the actress ‘instead of a stunning Arab actress like Nadine Njeim.’

‘So, she didn’t know Cleopatra was Greek & she calls the stunning Gal Gadot “very bland looking”. Pathological hatred of Israel does strange things to people’s brains,’ Panahi said. Gadot on Sunday confirmed her role with her followers on Sunday after news of the film’s production broke. 

‘Cleopatra is a story I wanted to tell for a very long time. Can’t be more excited and grateful,’ the Israeli actress, 35, shared on her Instagram. Gadot added: ‘I love embarking on new journeys, I love the excitement of new projects, the thrill of bringing new stories to life.’ 

It’s not known how the story of the Queen of Egypt will be tackled in this new retelling of the famous legend.  The script for the new film is being written by Laeta Kalogridis, who penned the screenplay for 2004’s epic Alexander as well as Leonardo DiCaprio starrer Shutter Island in 2010 and 2015’s Terminator Genisys.

Daily Mail