Race row erupts over casting of Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra

dailymail.co.uk ^ | June 17, 2010 | Sophie Forbes

[Free ThinkerNY]

She hasn't even been officially confirmed as having the role, but Angelina Jolie is already receiving criticism over her possible portrayal of the legendary Queen of the Nile.

Jolie, who turned 35 last week, is caught up in a racially charged debate over whether the role should of been played by a black woman.

The Egyptian royal was most famously portrayed Elizabeth Taylor in 1963.

The new film's producer, Scott Rudin, previously told USA Today the role is being developed with Angelina in mind as she has 'the perfect look'.

But this statement has angered members of the African American community.

An Essence Magazine online story asks, 'Another White Actress to Play Cleopatra?'

'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 adopted her daughter Zahara,5, from Ethiopia and gave birth to Shiloh,3, in Namibia. She also has 3 other children with partner, Brad Pitt. Maddox, 8, Pax, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2.

'Were Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry and Thandie Newton unavailable for auditions that day?' the writer continued.

'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.'

[bigheadfred]

I am not sure what Cleopatra’s race was

Why don't they ask Helen Thomas? Duh.

It is alittle known historical fact she IS the Helen that "launched a thousand ships". When the Greeks found out she was just an illegal immigrant they took a thousand ships loaded with thousands of warriors to take her back where she came from. But the people of Troy didn't want her back (who would?) and this big fight started.

Helen's just had A LOT of time to slant the story in her favor. She's a beauty all right.

[Publius6961]

Jolie, who turned 35 last week, is caught up in a racially charged debate over whether the role should of been played by a black woman.

When did the Rules of grammar in English change?
I am really confused because this "form" of verbs pop out all over now and if it has to be classified, it would be named ebonics.

What happened to the "would have" form?

[Publius6961]

Essence Magazine ought to send a team of militant reporters to Egypt to tell the Egyptians that they are sub-Saharan Africans.

That should clear things right up...

[Publius6961]

Macedonian. But don’t confuse them with facts. It upsets their fake outrage.

Fake history, fake sense of pride, fake sense of accomplishment, and fake "greatness by association."

I'm just waiting to get the old "University of Timbuktu" riposte, which just happened to vanish without a trace, without a language and without the legacy to rule the world that they were entitled to.

So sad.

[Publius6961]

What happened to Cleopatra VI ??

[AndrewC]

What happened to Cleopatra VI ??

Don't know for sure but 5 may equal 6.

[apro]

"Sadly, kids are shocked today when you tell them she was Greek-the direct descendant of one of Alexander’s generals. They don’t believe me. Then they look it up and realize the old guy isn’t so crazy. I can literally sense their little pea brains churning-”If he was right about that, maybe he was right about Obama...naaahhh, couldn’t be.”"

LOL! The wisdom of the elder over the naiveness of the youth, wins all the time, my friend. ;o)

[Stentor]

I always thought that if Sammy Davis Jr. should have played Robert E. Lee in the civil war movie. Hollywood showing true affirmative action.

That would have been hilarious. "Like hey man. Grab that ridge".

[Stentor]

You’ve got a whole lot to care about. Much of it is urban legend. Good luck.

[apro]

"Perhaps our outraged African Americans could read a little history. Wonder how outraged they were when a black actor was chosen to play the Norse god who put the blonde and blue eyes in ‘Viking’ in the upcoming movie, “Thor”."

The morons believe that the Vikings were "originally black" .... then one day Thor decided to make them all blond blue eyed white people. <*smirk> I swear African Americans who believe such nonsense must be the stupidest idiots around.

[apro]

"Don’t ever tell a Macedonian they are Greek. They’ll cut you"

Macedonians were/are Greeks. If they weren't then ancient Macedonians wouldn't have spread Greek culture, identity and language through out the lands they ruled over.

[apro]

"I saw a very interesting special where they think they found Cleopatra’s sister’s grave. They said she was not Greek. It was in a Pharos lighthouse styled grave I think in Ephesus, because they removed her to a place of safety. However even there Cleopatra had her murdered. She intended to be the only survivor of her family, but we know how that turned out. She had both brothers and her sister killed. If I find the name of the special I’ll post it here. I thought it quite good."

Bogus modern political correctness crap. That is not Cleopatra's sister they found and they based the suppose 'race' of those skeleton remains on nothing but the outdated cranial index. In other words they claimed she was 'mixed' because her skull was "dolichocephalic aka long-headed" even though they very clearly state the features look more European white then black African. Hate to break it to them but dolichocephalic are found on Europeans too. In fact the Nordic race was once described as "dolichocephalic aka long-headed":

"This distinction was repeated by Charles Morris in his book The Aryan Race (1888), which argued that the original Aryans could be identified by their blond hair and other Nordic features, such as dolichocephaly (long skull). The argument was given extra impetus by the French anthropologist Vacher de Lapouge in his book L’Aryen, in which he argued that the "dolichocephalic-blond" peoples were natural leaders, destined to rule over more brachiocephalic (short-skulled) peoples.[23]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_race

But because these idiots wanted to promote their own PC garbage they left that part out. Oh and for the record, its even not sure if those remains are of Arsinoe since the skeleton remains are of a young teenage girl while Arsinoe died in her twenties and the skeleton remains show no evidence of trauma which Arsinoe's remains would have given her violent death.

[pankot]

Hate to disagree. But Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon, was Macedonian but trained in languages in Greece and became enamored of the Greek language and culture. Being so enamored he adopted Greek language and culture and spread it as he conquered. That is how the New Testament came to be recorded in Koine Greek—a sort of “lingua franca” of the Mideast which was the result of Alexander’s Empire being split among his three generals.

[spetznaz]

Yes, I have a lot to care about. Most is not urban legend though. Then again, I do not delve much into yarns and big-fish polemics, and I am quite different from your run of the mill Kwanzaa celebrating Obama voting low earning types, thus my mileage does tend to be quite different.

[apro]

"Hate to disagree. But Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon, was Macedonian but trained in languages in Greece and became enamored of the Greek language and culture. Being so enamored he adopted Greek language and culture and spread it as he conquered. That is how the New Testament came to be recorded in Koine Greek—a sort of “lingua franca” of the Mideast which was the result of Alexander’s Empire being split among his three generals.

You can disagree , but the fact of the matter is Alexander the Great and the ancient Macedonians were Greeks. The Romans were enamored with Greek language and culture but they didn't spread it across every place they conquered. We have ancient sources and evidence that identify the Macedonians as Greeks.

[madethistopostsomething]

I’ve read a lot on Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, and on the whole race thing, she unquestionably mostly Greek, now with the new evidence of finding cleopatra’s sisters bone and the debate on whether is some african or egyptian blood in cleopatra is debatable, what isn’t is that they said she was predominately white, and i’m not saying this to be racist or join this endless debate on misguided information and preconceptions, but i’m just repeating what was stated by a team of forensic archaeology who send their lives researching this stuff. so intern i don’t see why anyone has a problem with Angelina Jolie playing Cleopatra on the basis of race, no seem to think she was not greek enough when she played Alexander’s mother. Now that i’ve said that, there are two other things i was thinking of, why isn’t anyone objecting to Angelina Jolie on basis that she is a horrible actress and has not to this day made anything worth sitting through to the end of the movie. it was just a thought, yes she is beautiful but she puts on the worst accents. the other thing i was thinking about and i dont know if this is just my own sick humor but i think it would be funny if jennifer aniston was octavia. well i’m sure this will either be buried in a see of other comments or be picked a part on grammar which i admit i didn’t pay attention at all to.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Lees Swrd]

let BET develope and finance and star who the hell they want for and I quote “their people” and make this movie for the rest to watch.

[Sir Gawain]

Don’t mention this in McDonald’s.