Hollywood star Gal Gadot may be reaping in accolades for her turn as Wonder Woman in the latest superhero adventure, but the actress isn’t winning any fans for playing Queen Cleopatra in an upcoming film.
The ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ star is essaying the role of the famed Egyptian queen in an upcoming film, which hasn’t gone down well with many Egyptians, who accused Hollywood of whitewashing yet another role for the big screen.
Gadot, who is of Israeli origin, defended taking on the part, while trying to shed light on Cleopatra’s heritage.
In an interview with BBC Arabic, Gadot spoke out saying: “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there. And I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”
Gadot went on to further add: “To me, as a people’s lover, and I have friends from across the globe, whether they’re Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist or Jewish, of course. People are people. And with me, I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honour this amazing historic icon that I admire so much.”
This is not the first time a film on Cleopatra is being made for the silver screen. Back in 1963, the late Elizabeth Taylor essayed the titular role, where she starred along with the late Richard Burton.