Rumors are circling that a new movie about Cleopatra is in the works. Along with these rumors comes controversy, specifically over who will supposedly play the famous ancient queen. The actresses in question are Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga.
While Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga are both talented actresses, there is an issue with their competition for the role. There is strong evidence that Cleopatra’s mother was African, making Cleopatra at least half African herself. Both of these actresses are decidedly not African. Nobody of African ancestry is even mentioned in conjunction with the role, effectively whitewashing the Egyptian queen.
Hollywood has a racism problem. No matter what the director’s excuse is for whitewashing— whether it be love for a particular white actress or claiming a new version of the character — it’s just racist. There is a time and a place for white people’s stories to be told that is not overshadowing a person of color.
A recent example off whitewashing, the movie "Aloha," was brought back into the public light after the 2019 Golden Globes. Emma Stone, a white actress, played a character who is half Chinese. After actress and Golden Globes host Sandra Oh called Stone out on this blunder, Stone awkwardly yelled, ”I’m sorry!”
This is far from the only instance of whitewashing. In "Ghost in the Shell," Scarlett Johansson played a Japanese character. Tilda Swinton was a Tibetan monk in "Doctor Strange." "Exodus: Gods and Kings," despite being set in biblical ancient Egypt, had almost an entirely white cast.
Having characters of color played by the white Hollywood elite is more than just a casting decision: it’s a statement.
According to the University of California, Los Angeles' Hollywood Diversity Report 2018, only 13.9 percent of lead roles in movies are given to people of color. The numbers given in UCLA’s report show that whitewashing directly keeps people of color out of Hollywood. There isn’t a lack of aspiring actors and actresses of color; there’s a lack of meaningful roles.
Actors and actresses of color already have an incredibly tough time finding work. When a character who is explicitly meant to be, say, Asian gets played by a white actor, it shows that even the meager amount of roles actually made for people of color still won’t go to them.
Going beyond job opportunities for ethnic minorities, the whitewashing of major characters also deprives people of seeing themselves represented in media.
It can’t be ignored that the lack of representation has real psychological effects on children. Always seeing heros who don‘t look like them can make a child feel isolated from their peers and lower their self-esteem.
Cleopatra was not white. She was a pharaoh in Egypt — yes, in Africa— and her mother was African. This shouldn't even be a debate. Her story should be an opportunity for an actress of color to shine.
It should be an opportunity for a child to finally see themself in a character who isn’t just a stereotype. White people aren‘t the center of the universe, and Hollywood needs to stop pushing this agenda. White people aren’t the only ones with stories to be told.
