"Gal Gadot defends Cleopatra casting" Topic

Israeli star Gadot caused controversy in October when she announced that she would star in and co-produce a forthcoming film about Cleopatra, with critics arguing that an Arab or African actor should play the ancient monarch…

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A bunch of nonsense.

Ah, don't you just love the revisionist culture?

Cleopatra was more Greek/Macedonian than Arab or African.

Who cares. It's called "acting" for a reason. Orson Welles once played the character Othello. Can you just imagine if that was done today with the crazy woke crowd.

She has no reason she needs to defend her role. She is fine doing it.

Given that Cleopatra had zero Arab, African or Hebrew ancestry, shouldn't the Greeks and Macedonians be the ones complaining?

And did any of these people object to a black man playing an Anglo or a Puerto Rican playing a Scot in Hamilton?

She was totally Greek/Macedonian.
The Ptolemies practiced dynastic incest, brother to sister. Just like almost every Egyptian dynasty.
They were Targaryen.

Besides, she is even hotter than Elizabeth Taylor, if that's possible. So, I'm OK.

About 18months ago I was Henry V at the Globe. Harry was played by a female, African actress. That was acceptable and no one complained.

Netflix recently did an Arthurian series where Arthur was played by a mixed race actor. That was acceptable and no one complained.

So, why does this only work one way?

I have to agree that it seems to me the Greeks who have the right to complain!

" So, why does this only work one way? "

Network media, I for one are sick of it! I am not alone.

"Given that Cleopatra had zero Arab, African or Hebrew ancestry"
"She was totally Greek/Macedonian."

The problem is that we don't know who Cleopatra VII's mother was, so neither of these statements can be said with certainty (and nor, of course, can the opposite). Strabo picks out Cleopatra's elder sister as being Ptolemy XII's legitimate daughter, which implies that Cleo may not have been the legitimate daughter of his queen Cleopatra V Tryphaena. In which case her mother could have been anyone, and her maternal ethnic background just about anything.

her mother could have been anyone, and her maternal ethnic background just about anything.

That settles it! She was actually Japanese!

People of color can play any part they wish, but not the other way around. In any event, I could watch Ms. Gadot play any part, even Hamilton or James Bond or Hannibal (either one), even Harriet Tubman, let alone Cleo.

About 18months ago I was Henry V at the Globe. Harry was played by a female, African actress.

So you're female and African?

What rubbish the world has gone mad, Gal Gadot will make a spectacular Cleopatra I know she could get me to conqueror the world for her, its all woke – then they applaud a black Anne Boleyn in a coming film now that's so out of field Ill never watch it. This is acting – its all pretending but historical roles should be done correctly otherwise less read people dont understand, how about a white nelson mandela or martin Luther king it would just be so wrong there are historical rolls, then there is artistic licence then there us utter nonsense

Jim Carrey as Nelson Mandella! :)

The problem is that we don't know who Cleopatra VII's mother was, so neither of these statements can be said with certainty (and nor, of course, can the opposite).

Then how did she become the woman who Caesar threw out the other Ptolemies over? She had to have a legitimacy.
The Hebrews were realistic people. They knew that the only certain parent was the mother. Prospective "fathers" could have … opinions on the matter, but the mother was proof.
The fact that she was accepted is proof.

Besides, Gal Gadot is smoking hot. The Cleopatra in HBO's Rome was not. I'm more inclined to accept the legitimacy of Gal Gadot.
Someone needs to tell her that she likes me.

It's a ridiculous argument for the "woke" crowd anyway. Cleopatra may be famous, but as a role model for powerful women, she's a lousy choice. Basically, she sold herself for power. What a role model. Pffft.

A better choice would be to introduce the world to the Candaces of Meroe. Those were women who held and wielded power in their own right— and unlike Cleopatra, when faced with Rome, held their own as allies, not subjected states. One made her power clear by invading Egypt and seizing statues of Augustus. In negotiations, she returned all but one of them. For the last, she had the head severed and buried under the entrance to her capital so that everyone who came through would trod on Caesar's head. Now that's an independent black woman!

Besides, Gal Gadot is smoking hot. The Cleopatra in HBO's Rome was not. I'm more inclined to accept the legitimacy of Gal Gadot.

I was under the impression that Cleopatra was actually fairly plain, not a classical beauty. But used her…feminine wiles…to win over Caesar. If that is the case, then Gal Gadot is clearly unqualified for the role :)

Damon.

Blaise Pascal wrote "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."
Plus, as the Swamp King said in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "She has great big … tracts of land!"
I'm still OK with Gal Gadot, long may she reign!

Cleopatra's nose was famous for being extraordinary.
That's not what I noticed on Gal Gadot. So, maybe, there's some reason to cavil.
But I don't care!

Great Caesar's ghost on a salad. [rolls eyes] Next thing you know, they'll be complaining that a transgender didn't get the part. But I think most of the "complaining" is coming from people who just want attention themselves…

Gal Gadot is really a fine alpha actress. I like her in Wonder Woman. She is totally the character and her answer on Cleopatra is just fine. She invites people to make the film they like, all the power to them, she is making the movie she likes.

This being said, I am not sure who is really amplifying the voice of a bunch of idiots. That'd be a lot more interesting to understand the root of these mechanisms than having always the same knee jerk reaction they ellicit.

Who the freck is behind these people and the amplification they are given? Russians, Chinese, Deep state?

Then we deal with them.

Basically, it's the "Heckler's Veto".
This arises from the mamby pamby "If just ONE Person is offended!" attitude. With 350,000,000 people in the USA, that's a heck of a lot of people who get to veto. Plus, she's Israeli, which is one more irrational reason to be offended by the rest of the movie going world.
My opinion? If you want to see Beyoncé as Cleopatra, great! Then we can have dueling Cleopatras. Since Bey would insist on singing, I would give it a pass. I hope Gal's is on Netflix real soon.

My guess is that it's China with the real veto power here. If China were to decide that it will not allow Gal Gadot's Cleopatra to be shown in the PRC, AND the boycott will apply to anyone guilty of financing it, and any further projects they may have, it's dead.
Ask why Richard Gere can't get work except in Indie productions. The PRC has him blacklisted.

I was woke once.

Clearing my eyes and stretching a bit I decided woke was overrated and regretted being awakened. I opted to return to sleep and dream of Gal Gadot in just about any role he chooses to perform.

I am Cleopatra!

"About 18months ago I was Henry V at the Globe. Harry was played by a female, African actress.
So you're female and African?"

oops! Well spotted Bill. I think I missed the word "watching" 😦

To be fair, she was good, but on the basis of what they are saying about Gal, she should not have the role…

And then there is that series with an African Hannibal…. 😡

You know, the studios are ashamed of their period of not making movies the Nazis wouldn't like because it was bad for European box office. Most of them are so ashamed they pretend it didn't happen. How long before they decide they never really thanked Chinese concentration camps?

The same problem arose with the Ghost in the Shell live action movie because Scarlett Johansson wasn't Asian. Hello! It's anime. No one in the anime looks Asian. It'd didn't stop the righteous indignation from the Leftists and their censorship. I liked the movie for what it was.

The same problem arose with the Ghost in the Shell live action movie because Scarlett Johansson wasn't Asian. Hello! It's anime. No one in the anime looks Asian.

Well, except the original character's name is Motoko Kusanagi. Doesn't sound too much like someone from outside of Helsinki…

Damon.

"Then how did she become the woman who Caesar threw out the other Ptolemies over? She had to have a legitimacy."

We also do not know the mother of Ptolemy XII's three children which he had after Cleopatra VII, including two sons who co-ruled with Cleo.

Cleo may have been the daughter of Cleo V, but she seems to have been removed from her position soon after Cleo VII's birth. So Cleo VII could be the daughter of that Cleo. Or her mother could have been another woman and Cleo was acknowledged. Whether that woman was also the mother of the later children isn't known.

I think there may be another couple of instances of similar doubts in the lineage. So it can't be said for certain that there is none Greek/Macedonian heritage, but the opposite can't be said for certain either.

Discussing Hellenistic history would be an awful lot easier if they'd had access to a more comprehensive book of baby names.

I don't care. There are far more important things in this world to worry about.