Director Defends Racial Casting in 'Queen Cleopatra' Amid Backlash
Director Tina Gharavi defends the casting of biracial Black actress Adele James as Queen Cleopatra in the Netflix docuseries "Queen Cleopatra" and slams the backlash as "laughable." Gharavi cites Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of Cleopatra as a direct influence and argues that Cleopatra was likely not white like Taylor. Egyptian scholars claim Cleopatra was born of European descent, but her mother's ethnic origin is unknown. Gharavi also addresses accusations of "blackwashing" and "Afrocentric thinking" in the docuseries, stating that Cleopatra's proximity to whiteness should not determine her value.