Gal Gadot has finally broken her silence over the controversy stirred over her casting as Cleopatra.
The Israeli star who will be reuniting with ‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins for the forthcoming project, has fired back at critics during a recent interview with BBC Arabic.
During the chat, the 35-year-old actress opened up on the immense backlash she has been facing following her casting as the iconic Egyptian Queen.
On asking about how she felt about her casting being an example of Hollywood whitewashing, Gal Gadot replied: “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”
The ‘Justice League’ star further noted that she loves the famous queen’s story and wishes to honor her in the upcoming film.
“I have friends from across the globe, whether they’re Muslims or Christian or Catholic or atheist or Buddhist, or Jewish of course. People are people, and with me, I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honor this amazing historic icon that I admire so much,” Gal Gadot went on to say.
“But, you know, anybody can make this movie, and anybody can go ahead and do it. I’m very passionate that I’m going to do my own, too.”
The criticism surrounding Gal Gadot’s casting comes as she gears up for her upcoming DC Comics movie ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ set to release on December 25.
Before bringing the historic icon to life on the big screen, she will be next seen in Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Death on the Nile’ alongside Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Annette Bening, Letitia Wright, and Russell Brand. The film is a sequel to 2017’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’ She will also feature in the upcoming Netflix film ‘Red Notice’ with Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, reports Aceshowbiz.
Checkout the full interview below:
