Blackwashing Cleopatra: Egypt Furious

Netflix is accused of 'blackwashing' new Jada Pinkett Smith docu-series Queen Cleopatra by casting black British actress as the Macedonian-Greek ruler 

Egyptian broadcaster vows to make its own Cleopatra documentary following Netflix's 'blackwashing' series - as the country insists the queen WAS light-skinned. Egyptian government says Cleopatra was NOT black: Officials slap down Netflix for 'blackwashing' pharaoh as they say she 'had white skin and Hellenistic features' - and docudrama is 'a falsification of Egyptian history.

'I could not hold my laughter during serious scenes:' Netflix's controversial Queen Cleopatra drama is panned by critics after blackwashing row - as they compare it to a 'sub-par soap opera'

• Egyptians reacted with dismay at the casting of black actress in the vaunted role 
• Egypt’s state-affiliated United Media Services' own documentary channel, Al-Wathaeqya, has now promised to make their own production about Cleopatra
•  The documentary will use the 'upmost levels' of research into the pharaoh
• Producer Jada Pinkett Smith said she wanted to tell the story because 'we don't often get to see or hear stories about black queens'
• The trailer has drawn a furious backlash for featuring claims from historians who assert that Cleopatra was black and had 'curly hair'
• Egyptian Authorities have now slapped down Netflix and insist the ruler 'had white skin'

The black actress starring in Netflix's 'Queen Cleopatra' docudrama said it was a 'political act' to cast her.

Adele James, 27, takes on the role of the famous queen from the land of the Pharaohs.

The show, which was released on May 10, features claims that Cleopatra VII was black with 'curly hair' and a historian saying 'I remember my grandmother saying to me: I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.'

Egyptians reacted with dismay at the apparent rejection of records which show Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek. An Egyptian lawyer has filed a case with the country's public prosecutor demanding that Netflix be shut down.

Ms James said of the role: 'It is political."

Netflix 2023 drama 'Cleopatra' sees actress Adele James in the title role of Queen Cleopatra

Adele also talked about the support of Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who narrates the series and is its executive producer.

A painting from a villa at Herculaneum in modern day Campania portraying a red-haired woman whose facial features, royal diadem and hairstyle adorned with fine pearl-studded hairpins suggest a posthumous portrait of Cleopatra (left) and an engraving by J Chapman made in 1804, showing a romanticized 19th century conception of Queen Cleopatra (right)

She said: 'She was so involved in the casting process, she watched all of our audition tapes, she was giving feedback on the rushes when we were out in Morocco shooting. 

'Blackwashing' in other films and shows 

Anne Boleyn (2021)

Black English actress Jodie Turner-Smith played the Queen of England in a British TV series. Anne Boleyn was white and the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Saint Joan (2020)

Black New Yorker Condola Rashad played the French heroine Joan of Arc in a stage production of the tale set in the 15th century. In the play, Rashad is a gender non-confirming Joan.

Troy: Fall of a City (2018)

In the TV drama, Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, is played by black English actor David Gyasi.

The Hollow Crown (2012 - 2016)

Sophie Okonedo, a Nigerian-British actress, played Queen Margaret of Anjou in the Shakespearean TV adaptation. Margaret, of French descent, was Queen of England and married to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461.

Once Upon a Time (2011 - 2018)

The ABC series about fairytales features a black actor Sinqua Walls as Sir Lancelot. 

Lancelot is a British character who features as one of King Arthur's close companions and one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table. Arthur was a legendary king of Britain and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition. 

Robin Hood (2006 - 2009)

The BBC series featured black English actor David Harewood as Friar Tuck.

Friar Tuck is one of the legendary Merry Men, the band of heroic outlaws in the folklore of Robin Hood which was set in England's Sherwood Forest in the 15th century.

'And she's just been such a champion of the project from the very beginning. I mean, it's her baby.

'She is an African Queen and I feel like it just couldn't be more pertinent and important that she's the figurehead of this. She's an icon.'

Cairo's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass condemned the documentary as 'completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black.'

Hawass said the only rulers of Egypt known to have been black were the Kushite kings of the 25th Dynasty (747-656 BC).

'Netflix is trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilization is black,' he added and called on his countrymen to take a stand against the streaming giant. 

On Sunday, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the public prosecutor demanding that he take 'the necessary legal measures' to block access to Netflix.

He alleged the show featured content that violated Egypt's media laws and accused Netflix of trying to 'promote the Afrocentric thinking ... which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.'

Three years ago plans for a new movie about the queen starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot sparked a backlash from people insisting the role should go to an Egyptian or African actress.

Gadot defended the decision, saying: 'We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn't there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.' 

The four-part Cleopatra series will explore the legacy, intellect and life of Cleopatra VII, the Greek Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC. 

The trailer notes that Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty but then goes on to dispute her heritage. 

Controversy: In the show, which is due to air on May 10, Cleopatra is depicted as black, despite historical records showing she was of Macedonian Greek heritage

Hot water: Netflix has been forced to turn off comments for the official trailer of new docu-series Queen Cleopatra (pictured: Cleopatra, played by Adele James)

Adele James on horseback in the new Cleopatra Netflix series

Adele James (left) in African Queens: Queen Cleopatra 

Adele James in another screenshot from the new Netflix docuseries 

Pictured: Adele James as the Egyptian Ruler (center) in the new Netflix series

Author Kemi Owonibi tweeted: 'For the nth time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. 

'She was Greek! Cleopatra VII was white—of Macedonian descent, likewise all the Ptolemy rulers, who lived in Egypt.' 

Egypt’s state-affiliated United Media Services' own documentary channel, Al-Wathaeqya (logo above) has now promised to make its own production about Cleopatra

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shared images of the bust of the ruler (left) to show she did have a 'light complexion'

When the epic Cleopatra premiered in New York 60 years ago, it was the most expensive movie ever made. Pictured: Elizabeth Taylor playing Cleopatra in the 1963 film

Elizabeth Taylor playing Cleopatra, and Richard Burton playing Mark Anthony in the 1963 film

A picture shared by the Egyptian government of artwork of Cleopatra

Gal Gadot was originally set to star as Cleopatra

Taylor's Cleopatra was the highest-grossing movie of 1963.