Why The Rumored Upcoming Role Of Cleopatra Wouldn't Have Gone To Beyonce or Rhianna

Despite the internet's dreams and demands. But also why it should not have, according to historical accuracy. (so stop making such a big fuss about it)

Ah, Cleopatra. A symbol of female empowerment in history, an example of a feminine leader with the power to bring men to their knees but also to nearly bankrupt 20th Century Fox. Recently, a rumor broke out about an upcoming cleopatra film (*cinephiles collectively groan*) and the two stars, rumored to be considered for the role, have been largely Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga. Such a role should be given to an actress with the chops to play a powerful political female, no doubt. But according to the internet (which quickly blew up after the rumor broke out) the role should rather go to the likes of stars Beyonce and Rhianna, both of course very beautiful in their own ways, queens in their own life, and powerful women of color.

But so far, there have been no updates to the casting decisions of this project. A project that, when I went further into research on, seems to be stuck in what has been dubbed as "development limbo". When I went down the rabbit hole of IMDb to find out more on this, I discovered that not only that indeed the development seems a little stalled, but Jolie has long been a contender for the role of Cleopatra.

*gasp*

Whitewashing! In Hollywood! NO NOT AGAIN! THE AUDIENCE STILL HASN'T RECOVERED FROM THAT GHOST IN THE SHELL TRAGEDY!! WHHYYYYYYY????

Well, I'll tell you why.

Before I get into disproving several myths, not to mention shaking up some established news sources (the tea is hot in this one), and also going into film development theoreticals, I'd like to say something out of respect. What I discuss in this article is in no way trying to diminish anyone's right to play a queen, or trying to tear anyone down. Personally, I think both Rhianna and Beyonce could play some stunning queenly rulers, perhaps one day portraying Cleopatra in some films who don't take historical accuracy too seriously.

Anyway, let's hop into this epic historical roller-coaster through film.

You read this correctly at the beginning: the role of Cleopatra would not have gone to Beyonce or Rhianna in the case of historical accuracy (which is a matter brought up by the internet several times). BUT Vivian Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor would not have played the role either for the matter. Beyonce and Rhianna both have enourmous star value and I believe they would increase the prospective amount of grossing in the box office if they were cast as Cleopatra (which in the end is what matters in Hollywood). But it's plain and simple: if this project were to take the lines of history seriously, then the two would not be high contenders for the role and here's why:

Here's the answer: the popular opinion has been for a long time now that Cleopatra was black but it stops at that, an opinion. As we should all know, just because you hold an opinion, that does not make it a fact (Let's say that again!).

If your teacher in middle school told you that the leader Cleopatra was

a) of African descent (related one way or another)
b) part african
c) what not (really there isn't a c I just wanted to put a c there because it sounds most professional)

Or any news story, documentary, or even your second cousin twice removed Earl that likes to read a lot of conspiracy stories for that matter

that is their opinion.

For a long time now stories in the news of history that Cleopatra was always black have been popping up, proposing that Cleopatra was not mostly Greek like many historians believe but black, calling the idea that she was Greek a myth. But this proposition is unfortunately a myth in itself because of the facts of what remains of history, and the very little evidence to back this up. And no, bones that are RUMORED to be an African aunt of Cleopatra does not count as evidence.

Yes, the Egyptians were and are mostly of color, but that does not mean that Cleopatra was too. Cleopatra was the daughter and descendant of a prominent Greek family that took up the empire after Alexander the Great had passed. An empire that had gradually and largely changed over time, of course, putting Cleopatra in a very tight and difficult political situation (I really recommend reading up on Cleopatra's story as a whole and how she navigated her place as a ruler, it's incredibly interesting).

An article I largely used to research this goes into these details much further with more facts. But the largest one explaining why this myth is for the most part incorrect or explaining how the myth has come to be, is from source Mary Lefkowitz, a writer of the book Not Out Of Africa. The novel goes into detail on this subject matter, and the article I'll link to does as well, paraphrasing Cleopatra's roots and the discrepancies that leave room for the popularized opinion.

But to paraphrase the article, there is not enough evidence to believe so.

Here is the article if you're interested in reading more on this subject matter or history: https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1703/was-cleopatra-black/ 

So there you have it! Why, according to most of the surviving solid evidence we have from history, Cleopatra was most likely not African, unfortunately.

So, thankfully, this isn't technically a case of whitewashing in cinema here.

Nonetheless, I wonder if the film wanted to go ALLLLL the way and really dig deep into historical accuracy (or at least as accurate as possible) then I wonder if trying to find a Greek or Egyptian actress might do. Cleopatra was most likely of mixed race. Fun fact: the ancient Greek's beauty standards were known for favoring milky skin (pale friends, rejoice!). So far, overall, in cinema, I feel that the most convincing looking Cleopatra is probably the name Leonor Varela who played the role in the 1999 relatively unknown television miniseries Cleopatra produced by Hallmark Entertainment (which you should be able to watch on Amazon Prime). But then again, like I stated earlier, star value may be needed for this historical project.

Historical projects, especially historical epics, have been notorious in film history for costing Hollywood some pretty big bucks. So film companies tend to be reluctant to fund them. That's why I suspect Jolie is the highest contender for the reason that she has the star value, ability, and experience (her role in the historical epic flop Alexander has been heavily referenced for this role). Not to mention the author of the book this is to be adapted from has reportedly given the impression that she believes in Jolie for the role.

Did you like this article? I love talking about films a lot and I grew up in a history filled house-hold so I kind of got to geek out on this one. I hope you liked it!! If you want to read more articles kind of like these (don't worry, I don't go around disproving conspiracy theories, popular opinion and history myths on the reg) then be sure to hit that follow button on the sidebar! Or read explore for some similar cinephile content!