The choice of Israeli Gal Gadot to play Cleopatra sparks controversy in Egypt

 The choice of Israeli Gal Gadot to play Cleopatra sparks controversy in Egypt

The cast has been criticized for the origins and political positions of the actress, and hints at the limits of normalization between countries in the area

The projection of the life of Queen Cleopatra on the big screen is once again marked by controversy. As happened with Lady Gaga and Angelina Jolie last year, this time the controversy has erupted with the announcement that it will be Hollywood star Gal Gadot who will play the famous ruler of Ancient Egypt in a biopic directed by Patty Jenkins. 

The choice of the famous Israeli actress to star in the film has generated considerable outrage on the networks, which question the casting criteria and an appropriation and biased representation of the figure of Cleopatra by the American film industry.

As you may have heard, I have teamed up with Patty Jenkins and Laeta Kalogridis to bring the story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, to life on the big screen in a way that has never been seen before. Gadot, who already worked with Jenkins on the movie Wonder Woman in 2017. "

Telling her story for the first time through the eyes of women, both behind and in front of the camera," added the actress, who in a second message assured that the three were "especially excited to be announcing this on the International Day of the Girl."

Despite Gadot's attempt to direct attention from the film's announcement to the milestone that three women are in the lead, this issue was relegated to the background in the face of the debate that has caused her suitability to play a queen of Egypt. .

 The controversy is framed in turn in a growing review and criticism of the representation assumed by white actors of any character, regardless of its origins.

Although the life of Cleopatra, born in 69 B.C. In Egypt, she has inspired artists in the film industry and beyond countless times, her story continues to be full of question marks. In this sense, her father, Ptolemy XII, was of Greek-Macedonian origins, and others are not ruled out, but those of her mother are not known with certainty. 

Furthermore, Cleopatra's kingdom was controlled by the Romans, and the Egypt of the time still had centuries to witness the conquest of the Arabs.

In the midst of this complex mosaic of identities around the queen, a reflection of the region at that time, it has been criticized that Gadot, as a white Israeli actress, and specifically of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, is not the best candidate to play the role. of Cleopatra. For some, it would have been more accurate if her role had been assumed by an Egyptian actress or a dark-skinned actress, closer to the image that the ruler is presumed to have. 

In this line, in addition, the calendar has wanted Gadot herself to also appear in another film set in Egypt, Death on the Nile, which is scheduled to be released at the end of October, and which has also received criticism for its cast. In the case of Cleopatra, however, there are those who have refuted the previous argument alleging that Gadot has Greek origins, like the queen, who was in no case Arab.

On the other hand, Gadot's choice has also been criticized for political reasons, since the actress served when she was younger in the Israeli Army, which she also showed her support for during the 2014 Gaza offensive, which left more than 2,000 Palestinians. dead. 

On this flank, however, there are those who have censored certain comments for considering them anti-Semitic, especially those that assume that Jews cannot also be black or Egyptian, although this is not the specific case of the actress in the eye of the hurricane. 

In a similar episode, the Wonder Woman movie was already banned in 2017 in Lebanon, Tunisia and Qatar as part of these countries' boycott of Israel and because Gadot is a former soldier in their Armed Forces.