Angelina Jolie Criticized for Playing Cleopatra
Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com
Angelina Jolie is facing growing criticism for taking on the role of Cleopatra.
African American blogs and message boards are full of comments about how an actress of color should have played the part, as pointed out by CNN's Marquee blog.
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In an Essence.com story called "Another White Actress to Play Cleopatra?," the author writes, "Honestly, I don't care how full Angelina Jolie's lips are, how many African children she adopts, or how bronzed her skin will become for the film, I firmly believe this role should have gone to a black woman."
(Jolie, 35, adopted Zahara, 5, from Ethiopia, and gave birth to Shiloh, 3, in Namibia. She and Brad Pitt are also parents to Maddox, 8, Pax, 6, and twins Knox and Viv, 23 months.)
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The writer went on, "Were Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry and Thandie Newton unavailable for auditions that day? Why does Hollywood think it’s even slightly plausible to cast white women in roles that would be more sensible to cast a black actress for? Especially when that role is an African queen."
Clutchmagonline.com notes the Egyptian queen has always been played by white women in the past: Claudette Colbert in 1934, Vivien Leigh in 1945 and the most famous Cleopatra to date, Elizabeth Taylor in 1963.
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Stacy Schiff, who wrote the book on which the film is based, Cleopatra: A Life, threw her support behind Jolie in USA Today. "I think [Jolie] be perfect for it and I can see a possible Oscar in her future,” she said. "Physically, she’s got the perfect look." Producer Scott Rudin developed the adaptation "for and with Jolie."
Michael Pietsch, publisher of Little, Brown (which will release Schiff's book this November) told UsMagazine.com: "Angelina Jolie radiates grace and power, exactly the qualities that Stacy Schiff finds in her biography of the most intriguing ruler who ever lived."
This wouldn't be the first time Jolie has come under fire for playing a woman of color. She starred as Mariane Pearl, who is Afro-Cuban/Dutch, in 2007's A Mighty Heart.
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395First of all jen cross and everyone who doesn't know.Cleopatra's dad left his wife for an african woman who was beautiful and her family was rich and they had cleopatra.Secondly,scientists found the mother of Cleopatra's bones and did a scan examination and found out it was her mom.It's in the museum now,so they also showed how Cleopatra would have looked and she was about Halle Berry's color.Cleopatra was ethnic,her dad was a greek and her mom was african!!!..People won't hear too much about Cleopatra's mom because she was just a regular woman who's family was rich so it wasn't like her mom was a noble queen herself or anything like that.The Cleopatra exhibit is in my city and they explain everything in detail if you go.If you read numberous of articles,you'll see they all say cleopatra was ethnic.The coins you see of a Cleopatra image is not really how she looked,the woman represent the name Cleopatra but if you read they'll tell you that's not how she look.I don't know why they couldn't get a woman who is bi-racial.People always take history and twist it.With the right producers and advertising the movie will sell regardless because Cleopatra is something to talk about and see.
lol
I can't believe this was even an argument (Actually I can). She was not African. You don't have to be a history fanatic, but before you make an argument, in general, do research. Lots of research. Also it's good to point out that the world is not simply "black and white" there are many shades in between, around the world. So if there's an argument about the ethnic background of the actress, make it broader. Don't make it a race game. That goes for whoever supports or does not support the choice. This is kind of ridiculous and I agree with Jenn Cross. As for me, I support the choice...a year and a half later :D
I am way late on this topic, but archaeologists have unearthed who they believe to be Cleopatra's sister, Arsinoe. Forensic examination and facial reconstruction show Arsinoe to be the product of an African mother. No one knows who Cleopatra's mother was. There is only speculation. Michelangelo's depiction appears biracial. Also, alabaster comes in two hues, white and brown. Which was Horace speaking of? So, there, Jenn Cross. But, honestly, as a Black person I could give a tinkers damn whether Cleopatra is Black or White. Personally, White America can have Cleopatra. By all description, she was a disgusting human being lacking any and all moral fiber. So, please don't call this woman Black. She was Greek. Angelina, good luck!
oh my god all you people are STUPID!! Cleopatra may have been BORN in Africa but she was not African!!! SERIOUSLY GET A HISTORY BOOK!! Cleopatra was the descendent of Ptolemy I who was Alexander the Great's General: BOTH WERE GREEK!!!! Alexander conquered Egypt and then for the next 300 years this was known as the "Hellenistic Period" in Egypt because the rulers were Macedonian which is a region in NORTHERN GREECE!! When Alexander the Great died he passed rule to his General Ptolemy I which began the Ptolemaic dynasty (Cleopatra's family). To Avoid Egyptian revolt the Ptolemies took on Egyptian customs and religians and fused there religion with Egyptians bringing about new deities: The Egyptian god Osiris was fused with the Greek gods of Zeus, Hades and Dionysus to create the composite deity Serapis. The temple to Serapis in Canopus (ancient city northeast of Alexandria) was rediscovered submerged under water by Prince Omar Tousson in 1933. From new discoveries in the Bay of Aboukir, which is the sunken city of Heracleion (ancient city near mouth of the Nile that was a religious center for Egypt) "In searching the underwater remains of Heracleion divers found evidence of this fusion of Egyptian and Greek dieties, which allowed both peoples religious autonomy and unity with the wider Mediterranean" Many things are actually factual and well known about Cleopatra: one is her family tree which is HUGELY inbred. This inbreding was following the history of all ancient Egyptian rulers: to mate with ones family keeps the power in the family. Cleopatra's mother and father were full brother and sister meaning they were GREEK. The only possibly African blood in her family AT ALL was her HALF sister Arsinoe but she was only related to Cleopatra through their father who was GREEK. ***FURTHERMORE ANCIENT WRITERS SUCH AS Horace (65-8 B.C.) (WHO ACTUALLY MET CLEOPATRA IN ROME) wrote that Cleopatra was as white as alabaster and another ancient writer Lucan wrote of â??Cleopatraâ??s white breasts were revealed by the fabric of Sidonâ?¦ close-woven by the shuttle of the Seres.â?? And since she is from the same tribe as Alexander The Great, here is a description of him. â??In fact, Alexander was FAIR skinned but his *** PALE *** coloration became ruddy in the chest area particularly but also in the face.â?? ~ Plutarch, Alexander 4.1-7. The Ptolemaic dynasty inbreed amongst themselves to keep theirs blood pure. To suggest that Cleo was black seems more like a desire to promote a personal agenda rather than a cry for historical accuracy in films: NEWS FLASH THE RACE CARD IS GETTING OLD CONSIDERING ITS 2010 - HOW ABOUT REAL HISTORICAL ACCURACY? NO ONE is racist by stating the facts. If the situation was reversed and history said she was black I would still be intrigued by her amazing story BUT THE FACT IS THAT SHE IS STILL GREEK. SERIOUSLY DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE WRITING A RIDICULOUS ARTICLE BASED ON YOUR OWN PERSONAL AGENDA.
Egyptians are a darker color than her, but they are sooooo not black....PLUS Cleopatra had Greek blood! I believe she will do great!
Anyone who thinks Cleopatra was black is not to be taken seriously lol.
Cleopatra was a ruler descended from the Macedonian generals of Alexander the Great. Believe it or not, there countries in Africa that AREN'T inhabited by Negroid races! Jesus christ.
no one knows her skin color.. but even as a Greek , it's very likely she was not pure white as most Mediterranean people have olive or darker skin. Jolie is not the right person for the role,but she sells tickets and that's what matters.
Nice one! the problem is that, I am not a hollywood actress.. I can play the role. It fits my color and fits to become the princess of egypt.. If only I can have the chance to go there and auditioned, Why not? I'm going to impress you not just by my qualified complexion, or personality cleopatra must have but also the uniqueness of having another actress not from hollywood who can do the role perfectly.. Just dreaming.. quite impossible.. sigh*
This concept should also be applied to Asian roles. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, there were virtually no Asians to play the part of, obviously, an Asian. That's just plain disrespect.
Cleo was GREEK!!!! Duh!!! Essence should be embarrassed to employ a writer that has no idea what they are talking about!!!! Pick up a history book sometime....
No offense, but though Cleo was an "African Queen" she was of Greek ethnicity. duh! I am not a Jolie fan, but I think she'll be a great Cleo!
Cleopatra was Greek --- her father helped Alexander the Great to conquer Egypt --- his name was Tolemy and the family (like all previous Egyptian rulers) was totally interbred --- Pick up a history book or just do some easy research online --- if a white woman was going to play Billie Holiday --- there would be something to be rattled about --- Cleopatra was GREEK!
Cleopatra was not African. Her heritage was Macedonian/Greek. Learn your history before you start whining.
I guess some people don't know that Cleo, is of Greek ansestry, she is a decendent of Alexander the great, who was a Greek, the Ptolomeys didn't mix their blood, they married with in the family. She is NOT african, she only lived on that continent.
Essence should do a little research before publishing an opinion about what Cleopatra really looked like- you can easily find coins, busts..she looked a lot like Whistler's Mother with more of a beak-nose, very European; she was not a Black Goddess
The Cleopatra part could go to an unknown and still be Oscar worthy.If you didn't know her personally or was a close blood relative we don't know what her race is.It like being asked how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a lollipop(the world may never know). Remember mama's baby papa's maybe. Not unless you were there that nite holding the flashlight.
The part of Cleopatra can be played by an unknown and still be Oscar worthy. If you didn't no Cleopatra personally or was a close blood relative trying to figure out her race is like asking how many licks it takes to get to tootsie roll center of a lollipop.(the world may never know)Remember mama's baby papa's maybe. Not unless someone was there that nite holding the flashlight
The people who are protesting this should check out Cleopatra's lineage. She was a descendant of Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy. So given Cleopatra"s greek genealogy Angelina is an appropriate choice.