According to an exclusive interview with Variety, the director of Netflix’s new upcoming series Queen Cleopatra speaks out against criticism surrounding the casting of the historic queen. Cleopatra in the series is played by Black actress Adele James (Casualty). This has created an uproar making many unhappy individuals state that they are ‘blackwashing’ Cleopatra. Director Tina Gharavi (I Am Nasrine) spoke with Variety about the entire situation revolving around the series. Below is some of what Gharavi said to Variety.
Gharavi said, ‘’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?’’
Gharavi continued, ‘’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. 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. Cleopatra was eight generations away from these Ptolemaic ancestors, making the chance of her being white somewhat unlikely. After 300 years, surely, we can safely say Cleopatra was Egyptian. She was no more Greek or Macedonian than Rita Wilson or Jennifer Aniston. Both are one generation from Greece.’’
Below is a Twitter post from Gharavi thanking Variety for the exclusive.
According to Variety, Gharavi also spoke about seeing Elizabeth Taylor (The Flintstones) portray the queen in the 1963 film Cleopatra. Gharavi said, ‘’So, was Cleopatra Black? We don’t know for sure, but we can be certain she wasn’t white like Elizabeth Taylor. We need to have a conversation with ourselves about our colorism, and the internalized white supremacy that Hollywood has indoctrinated us with.’’
She continued, ‘’It’s almost as if we don’t realize that misogynoir still has an effect on us today. We need to liberate our imaginations, and boldly create a world in which we can explore our historical figures without fearing the complexity that comes with their depiction. I am proud to stand with “Queen Cleopatra” — a re-imagined Cleopatra — and with the team that made this. We re-imagined a world over 2,000 years ago where once there was an exceptional woman who ruled. I would like to draw a direct line from her to the women in Egypt who rose up in the Arab uprisings, and to my Persian sisters who are today rebelling against a brutal regime. Never before has it been more important to have women leaders: white or Black.’’
Below is the trailer for the upcoming series.
Queen Cleopatra will premiere on Netflix on May 10th.