Queen Cleopatra star speaks out on blackwashing backlash after racist abuse

Official trailer for Netflix’s documentary series ‘Queen Cleopatra’

This week, the highly anticipated Queen Cleopatra landed on Netflix as viewers gained insight into the Egyptian ruler’s life and her reign from 51 to 30 BC.

With black British actress, Adele James, being cast to play the role of the Macedonian-Greek leader, there have been multiple complaints from people who are accusing the documentary of ‘blackwashing’.

Egyptians have been left outraged by her deception, with lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filing a case with the Public Prosecutor to shut down the streaming platform in the country.

Appearing on Thursday’s instalment of Steph’s Packed Lunch, the 27-year-old addressed the high level of backlash the documentary is receiving over having a black actress play Cleopatra.

Although Adele confessed she had anticipated slight criticism, she didn’t expect it on this scale.

She said: “I think it’s distressing for anybody to receive any level of abuse, let alone the scale and the nature of what I’ve received, which is fundamentally racist, all of it.

“People are talking about the wrong things. Yes, we don’t know where her mother was from or her paternal grandmother.

“But, also the show is about so much more than the question mark over her race.”

Speaking to the Channel 4 host, Adele stated those who watch the documentary will realise her race is a very small part of the conversation.

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The actress added: “This is about the fullness of who this woman was and she was a human being.

“She shouldn’t be reduced to her race any more than I should, or anybody should.”

Alongside Adele was her co-star John Partridge, who is playing Julius Caesar in the documentary and defended the casting decision.

He commented: “The controversy is about Cleopatra being black, I don’t hear anybody saying that Julius Caesar is a homosexual from Manchester.

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