Months ago, the internet went into a frenzy following the release of Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Queen Cleopatra on screens. Produced by Netflix, the docu-drama was heavily criticized for casting a biracial actress to portray Egypt’s influential ruler, subsequently re-opening an age-old debate surrounding her ethnicity and appearance.
The former monarch’s looks remain the subject of many impassioned conversations between scholars and filmmakers alike, who persistently struggle to accurately describe and represent her facial features in their respective works. While the outcome of almost every televised autobiography grows into a scandal of some sort, it seems as if one director isn’t afraid to boldly tackle the subject matter head-on.
According to recent reports, Canadian producer and screenwriter Denis Villeneuve is the next to take on the challenging task of recounting Cleopatra’s story. Rumors have been suggesting that the esteemed filmmaker is courting Timothée Chalamet to play Octavius as well as Daniel Craig to star as Julius Caesar. What’s more, it is alleged that Emmy-award-winning actress Zendaya has accepted to step into the queen’s shoes— a move that has stirred both excitement and skepticism online.
fun fact: cleopatra was a greek macedonian!! (i made a whole thread about this crap on my old account). as much as i love zendaya but she is not the right person to cast as this historical character. https://t.co/cTsSh3xR57
— mars (@coppolasmother) November 9, 2023
While many are excited over the prospect of such a star-studded cast portraying this pocket of history on the big screen, the rumors have also begun raising questions about representation in the industry.
Many would have imagined that Pinkett-Smith’s interpretation and the subsequent backlash would have served as an example of what not to do when shedding light onto a chapter of history that is not yours to recount. However, considering the rumored cast t of the upcoming biopic, not a single lesson was learned.
As the West continues to relentlessly remain indifferent to what our side of the world thinks, one can only wonder what more can be done to change the current status quo. As boycotts and negative reviews don’t seem to make an impact, maybe it is time to give the other side a taste of their own medicine by casting a Moroccan actor as Napoleon or an Egyptian woman to portray Queen Elizabeth II. Perhaps this will force the Eurocentric entertainment industry to truly understand the frustrating impact of cultural misrepresentation.
