The documentary series arouses many reactions because of the choice of a black actress, Adela James, to play the Queen of Egypt. Director Tina Gharavi reacted to this controversy.
Expected May 10 on Netflix, the documentary series Queen Cleopatra arouses many reactions because of the choice of a black actress, Adela James, to play the Queen of Egypt. Director Tina Gharavi reacted to this controversy in the columns of Variety: “Why does a black Cleopatra bother you so much?”
“I remember seeing as a child Elizabeth Taylor playing Cleopatra (in the film Joseph L. Mankiewicz, released in 1963, Ed). I was fascinated, but even at the time, I found that this image was not the right one. Was her skin really that white?” she wrote.
By making this documentary series, Tina Gharavi, hoped “to find answers on the origins of Cleopatra” to “free her from the hold of Hollywood on her image”. “During my research, I understood that it would be an incredible political act to see Cleopatra embodied by a black actress.”
“The story of Cleopatra speaks less about her than about us”
“The fact that people had portrayed her so poorly before – from Theda Bara to Monica Bellucci, with more recently Angelina Jolie and Gal Gadot vying to play her – pushed me to be as fair as possible,” says the director. “Historians confirm that Cleopatra looked more like Adele James than Elizabeth Taylor.”
“Is Cleopatra black? We don’t really know, but (…) we have to discuss our relationship to skin color, this internalized racism that Hollywood has indoctrinated us with,” she says. “We must understand that the story of Cleopatra is less about her than about us.”
“We must free our imaginations and boldly recreate a world in which we can explore our historical figures without fear of representing them with complexity. I am proud of ‘Queen Cleopatra’ – this new Cleopatra – and the team that Created.”
18.000 signatures
The choice of Adele James has angered disgruntled internet users, with some accusing Netflix of “cancel culture” or “rewriting history”. The controversy is such that a petition has even been put online to request the removal of the series from Netflix. To date, it has more than 18,000 signatures.
An Egyptian lawyer, Mahmoud al-Semary, also filed a complaint this week against Netflix, accusing the platform of “counterfeiting”. “What Netflix shows is not in accordance with Islam and the values and principles of Egyptian society,” he wrote in his complaint.
Comedian Adele James has spoken on social networks to denounce the criticism and insults she has received since the broadcast of the trailer. “This kind of behavior will not be tolerated on my account. You will be blocked without hesitation. If you don’t like the cast, don’t watch the show.”
