Egyptian Lawyer Sues Netflix For Depicting Cleopatra As A Black Woman
New Netflix documentary series features Cleopatra as a black woman, resulting in a lawsuit from an Egyptian attorney.
It's becoming more and more common for historical figures or TV or movie characters to be portrayed as a different race. Anne Boleyn, who was the Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, was played by black actress Jodie Turner-Smith in a British miniseries called Anne Boleyn. The iconic Disney princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid was recast as a black character played by Halle Bailey in the upcoming live-action remake. Anytime these remakes have been announced online, the backlash is always labeled as racist. But many people have reasonable questions about why certain historical figures are suddenly having their past rewritten entirely, especially Cleopatra, the Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC.
Egyptian Lawyer Sues Netflix for Depicting Cleopatra as a Black Woman
On May 10, Netflix will release a docuseries called Queen Cleopatra about Cleopatra and her legacy, including reenactments and expert interviews. The series is executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and stars a black woman who plays the role of Cleopatra. But there is no evidence that Cleopatra was black. In fact, there is much evidence pointing to the contrary, and Egypt is unhappy with the way that she is being portrayed in the Netflix series. In the past, Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra, and that has been retroactively criticized because many were skeptical that Cleopatra's skin was that pale. But it seems as though Netflix has overcorrected.
Mahmoud al-Semary, an Egyptian lawyer, has filed a lawsuit with a public prosecutor because of Netflix's distortion of history, because Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was mainly of Macedonian Greek ancestry. Her heritage is said to also come partly from Persians. Al-Semary doesn't appreciate her history being erased for the benefit of a streaming service.
“In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world there must be pride in the makings of such work," he said. He has accused Netflix of promoting a distortion of history, and he added that Netflix's shows and movies "do not conform to Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones." In fact, he says Netflix has committed a "crime" against Egypt and its culture.
“Netflix is trying to stir up confusion to spread false information that the origin of Egyptian civilization is black,” he said. Al-Semary claims that Netflix is "falsifying facts" and promoting "forgery" for the sake of entertainment.
"Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was blonde, not black," he added.
Cleopatra will be portrayed by Adele James, who announced on her Twitter that she won't tolerate any comments or criticism about the fact that a black woman is playing the role of Cleopatra. "You will be blocked without hesitation!!! If you don’t like the casting don’t watch the show. Or do & engage in (expert) opinion different to yours. Either way, I’M GASSED and will continue to be!" she tweeted.
She also disabled the ability to reply to her thread unless she follows you.