When Gal Gadot was cast as the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, it created a lot of controversy, but in the latest issue of InStyle’s February “Badass Women” issue, Gadot spoke about what this new film will highlight about the ancient ruler.
“I can’t reveal a lot, but I can tell you that we’re going to celebrate the Cleopatra story,” Gadot told InStyle. “We’re going to show not just how sexy and appealing she was, but how strategic and smart, and how much impact she had and still has on the world we’re living in today.”
The actress added, “I’ve watched all the ‘Cleopatra’ movies throughout history, but I feel like we’re telling the story the world needs to hear now.”
Kari Skogland will replace Patty Jenkins as the director of the project, but the latter will still be producing the film, maintaining that working relationship between Gadot and Jenkins.
Many people felt conflicted about Gal Gadot playing the Egyptian queen, rehashing long-running conversations about the race/ethnicity of Cleopatra. Historically, as far as we know, Cleopatra was of Greek heritage, specifically Macedonian, because she was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was installed after the colonization of Egypt by Alexander the Great.
There has been some speculation as to whether Cleopatra’s mother was Cleopatra VI Tryphaena or someone else who was a woman of color. Personally, from the research I’ve read, Cleopatra was likely just Greek.
In response to all this discussion, Gadot said, “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”
“I have friends from across the globe, whether they’re Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist, or Jewish of course,” Gadot continued. “People are people, and with me I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much…You know, anybody can make this movie and anybody can go ahead and do it. I’m very passionate that I’m going to do my own too.”
What some have said is that despite Cleopatra being likely Greek, casting an Egyptian/Arabic actress would have still been a great opportunity for an actress of that background.
Regardless, at this point, I think while Gal is a gorgeous woman and has a presence onscreen, she has not proven herself to be an actress with enough range to be able to translate into a woman with as much legacy and interesting nuance as Cleopatra. Maybe she’ll surprise us? We will have to see. But … you know, smart and sexy Cleopatra. How groundbreaking.
(via Variety, image: Warner Bros.)
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