What does Cleopatra and Wonder Woman have in common? According to Patty Jenkins, they both are "pretty badass" and "incredible" leaders. Jenkins recently opened up about her upcoming film Cleopatra, starring Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot. She said, "I think I actually have a history of looking at complicated characters.” She said that she is inspired to looking at a story from “that person’s point of view” and that is more interesting to her “in a different way.” Israeli actor Gal Gadot will play Cleopatra in the upcoming film.
Talking to Collider, Jenkins revealed her view on the legendary Egyptian ruler. She believes the Queen was slightly different than how she has been portrayed throughout history adding that she wants to showcase the “nitty gritty details” of Cleopatra’s “incredible story,” because she insists that we can understand it in a completely different way “if you change things just a little bit.”
Also Read: Gal Gadot And Patty Jenkins Are Officially Returning With Wonder Woman 3
“So applying that same approach to one of the most famous women in history, Cleopatra, the truth is, the only story that we know of her was told by the Romans who killed her and hated her," Wonder Woman director Jenkins said. Adding, “And so once we really start looking at what does exist elsewhere about Cleopatra, you see a pretty bad-a**, incredible leader. One of the great leaders in Egypt."
Gal Gadot as Cleopatra
Jenkins further continued, "Gal has been developing this for a while and when she brought it to me, I was so excited by what it could possibly be. And I think she'd be an amazing Cleopatra."
She signed off saying that Cleopatra's story "deserves to have told one day beautifully.”
The Cleopatra biopic will capture the “story for the first time through women’s eyes, both behind and in front of the camera,” Gadot had earlier said defending her casting as Cleopatra. She had also addressed the critics who in October slammed the film’s makers and accused them of “whitewashing”.
Was Cleopatra of Egyptian origin?
Cleopatra was said to be “ethnically Greek” and not “ethnically Egyptian,” according to Smithsonian Magazine and History (formerly known as The History Channel) in 2007. Meanwhile, a 2009 BBC documentary, Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer, suggested the queen came with mixed ancestry, BBC News reported. However, when in October Gadot announced that she would star in and co-produced the film, The Guardian’s Hanna Flint called it “a backward step for Hollywood representation”, while director Lexi Alexander said “a black actress should be cast,” citing a reconstruction of Cleopatra’s face.
Both Jenkins and Gadot are now enjoying the release of Wonder Woman 1984 and its massive box-office collection.
Also Read: Gal Gadot Paid 33 Times More To Reprise Her Role In Wonder Woman Sequel
Feature Image Credit: Patty Jenkins/Twitter
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