The rise of movements such as #OscarsSoWhite and Black Lives Matter over the past decade have shed light on just how far America still has to go before its minority populations receive the same representation and protection as white Americans. And while many will agree that these are positive movements that can help guide us to a better future, some will argue that they’ve only made things more complicated.
Take the recent casting of Gal Gadot as the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra for instance. Gadot, well-known for her role as Wonder Woman in DC Films, has received backlash from many for taking the role of an Egyptian while she is Israeli.
Egypt is an African country, so some argue it may make sense for its legendary queen to be portrayed by an African actress. According to an article from BBC, Morgan Jerkins, a New York Times bestselling author, tweeted, “Cleopatra should be played by someone ‘darker than a brown paper bag, as that would be more ‘historically accurate.’”
However, geographical location is not the only factor to consider when it comes to Cleopatra’s ethnicity. While she was an Egyptian royal, she was not of Egyptian descent. According to the same article, “Cleopatra was descended from an Ancient Greek family of rulers- the Ptolemy dynasty.”
This dynasty was installed by Alexander the Great, a Greek conqueror who took control of Egypt almost three centuries before Cleopatra’s birth. Another six hundred years later, Egypt would be invaded by Persians, and then Muslims.
In fact, there was so much conquering occurring during ancient times that the lines between races may have been blurred considerably. Seth Frantzman, a journalist for the Jerusalem Post, wrote that,
“It makes no sense to exclude Jews from playing roles from the Middle East, when Jews are primarily a people from the Middle East.”
But it’s also important to take into consideration what it would mean to many people of African and Greek descent to see a person who looks like them in a prominent movie role. It’s an unfortunate fact that Hollywood has a history of whitewashing and catering to the white gaze. A study done by the University of California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism revealed that out of the top 100 movies from each year between 2007 and 2017, 70.7% of the characters were white.
Skyler Allen, a freshman elementary education major, explained how it’s important to include minority representation in Hollywood and other media because “the media usually reflects reality, and when you don’t see yourself on screen, it’s like ‘how do I fit into society, how do I fit into reality, why is my existence not as valuable to people?’”
As a young African American woman, she has wondered if her experiences are not “as valid or as important” as those of white Americans be- cause of the lack of representation of people like her in the media.
There are many talented actors of color who are often overlooked for a more well-known actor, even if it means sacrificing accuracy. While no one can deny Gal Gadot’s talent, it is simply a question of if she is truly the best choice. Movies that bring the stories of historical figures of color to light, such as Cleopatra, should be just as focused on portraying those characters as accurately as possible, if only out of respect for them and those who have been inspired by them.
