Elizabeth Taylor: 'Realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress'

Back in April, Netflix landed in trouble for their new documentary African Queens: Queen Cleopatra. And it had to do something with the portrayal of the historic figure Cleopatra. What was the matter exactly? Viewers weren’t really pleased with the idea of Cleopatra being presented a black woman. One archeologist weighed on the fact that Cleopatra was not black but light-skinned. A lawyer too filed a complaint against the makers, alleging this was nothing but an attempt to ‘erase the Egyptian identity.’ He further stated that the show was misleading in terms of media laws and said Netflix is trying to ‘promote the Afrocentric thinking… which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.’ Director Elizabeth Taylor speaks out The director of African Queens: Queen Cleopatra has now spoken on the controversy to Variety. She said, “I am not saying you are Cleopatra but somehow you share her story and are connected. Less than a month later, I got a call from a production company making Jada Pinkett Smith’s “African Queens” and was subsequently hired to direct four episodes of a drama-documentary on the life of the controversial leader. The joke was on me.” She added, “I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white? With this new production, could I find the answers about Cleopatra’s heritage and release her from the stranglehold that Hollywood had placed on her image?” Speaking about her research, she revealed, “Doing the research, I realized  what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress. For me, the idea that people had gotten it so incredibly wrong before — historically, from Theda Bara to Monica Bellucci, and recently, with Angelina Jolie and Gal Gadot in the running to play her — meant we had to get it even more right. The hunt was on to find the right performer to bring Cleopatra into the 21st century.” Celluloid’s Cleopatra’s statement  The actress playing the figure had said in a statement- “If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show.” The producer of the Netflix production also said that “her heritage is highly debated.” Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.