Gal Gadot Defends Her Casting As Cleopatra, Addresses Accusations Of Whitewashing Against Director Patty Jenkins

Further addressing that the backlash about her casting as Cleopatra, Gadot said that "People are people," and she just wants to "celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honour this amazing historic icon that I admire so much."

Gal Gadot also spoke on how the film's director Patty Jenkins was accused of casting a white Israeli woman, however, it's not that simple since "we were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn't there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra."

The Wonder Woman 1984 actor said that this was a project she was passionate about. "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."

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 reports. 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.

Also Read: Will Do Wonder Woman 3 Only When Warner Bros Goes Back To Being A Full Theatrical Studio, Says Patty Jenkins

The Cleopatra biopic will capture the "story for the first time through women's eyes, both behind and in front of the camera," Gadot concluded.

Both Jenkins and Gadot are now looking forward to the Christmas Day release of the sequel Wonder Woman 1984.