Gal Gadot is under fire for announcing that she will play the lead role of Cleopatra in the next Hollywood movie | Image Credit: Twitter
Gal Gadot will play the role of the Greek-Macedonian Egyptian queen Cleopatra in Patty Jenkins’ latest period biographical drama scripted by Laeta Kalogridis.
- News18.com
- Last update: October 12, 2020 5:24 PM IST
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Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who became a household name around the world after playing Wonder Woman, is making headlines again for reprising another landmark role. Gadot will play the role of the Egyptian princess Cleopatra in the next film set in her life.
Gadot has teamed up with her Wonder Woman director, Patty Jenkins, to play Cleopatra in a period biographical drama scripted by Laeta Kalogridis.
However, the news of her casting has caused a ton of outrage on social media. Since then, many have criticized the Israeli actress’s decision to play an Arab character.
But what is the outrage about?
Critics claimed it was unfair for Gadot, an Israeli, to play the role of an Arab historical figure, given the history of disputes between Israelis and Arabs. The tensions stem from the Israel-Palestine conflict, the ongoing territorial conflict between the two nations that began in the mid-20th century and has caused immense death and destruction. Critics of Israel have secondly criticized the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, which has been ongoing for 53 years. Egypt, also an Arab country, has also had a contentious history with Israel, culminating in several wars, including the Yom Kippur War in 1973. It was only after 1979 that the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was formed. Given the story, many have questioned Gadot’s decision to play the Arab princess rather than an Arab actress in the role. Some have gone so far as to call it a “Zionist.”
What idiot in Hollywood thought it would be a good idea to choose an Israeli actress like Cleopatra (a very smooth-looking one) over a ravishing Arab actress like Nadine Njeim? And what a shame, Gal Gadot. Your country steals Arab lands and you steal their roles in movies … smh. https://t.co/GY5tYEcl4K pic.twitter.com/JcrnM1RUQq
– sameera khan (@SameeraKhan) October 11, 2020
the level of disrespect is incredible. you are ISRAELI. portraying an ARABIC figure. This is not going to end well.
– danyah ♌︎ 🎃 (@ddvniii) October 12, 2020
1. There are so many talented Arabs (or Egyptians for that matter) that Hollywood could at least have sought an Egyptian actress for the role instead of giving it to a Zionist and whitewashing one of the most powerful leaders in our history.
– ray 🍂 | fixed !! (@lustbarnes) October 11, 2020
Accusations of racism
But his Israeli ancestry was not the only bone of contention. Many on social media also claimed that casting Gadot would lead to a historically inaccurate portrayal of Cleopatra. Many questioned why a woman of color like Zendaya or Lupita Nyongo was not cast.
the level of disrespect is incredible. you are ISRAELI. portraying an ARABIC figure. This is not going to end well.
– danyah ♌︎ 🎃 (@ddvniii) October 12, 2020
How are you going to cast Gal Gadot to play Cleopatra when Lupita is RIGHT THERE?!?
– Justina Ireland (@justinaireland) October 11, 2020
But was Cleaoptra really Arab?
Gadot fans and history buffs, however, pointed out that Cleopatra was not Arab at all, but Greek. Cleopatra, the last ruling member of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, was in fact not Arab but of Macedonian descent. The Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt descended from the Greek-Macedonian ruler Ptolemy. The Macedonians were an ancient Greek tribe. This means that Cleopatra was not a black Arab, she was the Macedonian Greek ruler of an Arab country.
Is the outrage against Gal Gadot fair?
This isn’t the first time that Gadot, who became a beauty queen at 18 in 2004 and later joined the Israeli military, has caused controversy. Gadot joined the Israel Defense Forces to finish his two years of mandatory military training. In 2014, just before the release of his new DC movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, had sparked controversy for being “pro-IDF” after sharing a post in support of the forces on its Facebook page. She also posted a photograph of herself and her young daughter praying for Israeli troops, weeks after Israel launched Operation Protective Edge.
Many on social media also supported Gadot, claiming the criticism against him was a bit misinformed.
I’m going to say this once and won’t say it again, Cleopatra was Greek, yes, she was in Egyptian rule, but she was Greek with Persian and Syrian ancestry. People who are reacting negatively to this are uneducated and uninformed. Gal Gadot deserves this role. pic.twitter.com/7h1oYu9ClX
– The warrior of the moonlight 🌙 (@ BlackMajikMan90) October 11, 2020
Regardless of what you think of her being cast as Cleopatra, never forget that Gal Gadot proudly served (and continues to support) a colonial army known for maiming and murdering civilians.
– Steven Salaita (@stevesalaita) October 11, 2020
Others, however, reminded the world that even though Cleopatra is not an Arab, support for Gadot must come with a pinch of salt, as he indeed supports the IDF.
3. Ancient Egypt is more than you can imagine and it makes us angry when we see white and American or non-Arab / Egyptian people portray it. So many films have been made about our history and not a single Arab has participated in them.
– ray 🍂 | fixed !! (@lustbarnes) October 11, 2020
Others also defended her Greek nationality, claiming that just because she was of Greek descent, it didn’t make her any less Egyptian than anyone else. “The fact that Hollywood continues to produce films about Arab history without casting ONE Middle Eastern actor is so offensive. , disgusting and frustrating, “wrote a critic on Twitter.
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