Gal Gadot's casting as Cleopatra in the upcoming biopic with the eponymous title has not miffed Angelina Jolie. The National Enquirer reported that Jolie was "insulted and upset" that Gadot was chosen for Cleopatra's role in the Patty Jenkins-directed movie.
A source told the National Enquirer that it was Jolie's "dream to play Cleopatra." "It was going to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress, and now that's over thanks to Gal, who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead," the source said.
"Angie is insulted and upset. She feels she was born to play Cleopatra and it was no secret that she'd been working on the script and meeting with top directors for the project for years," the insider reportedly added. "Let's just say Gal better not run into Angelina any time soon without a Roman general like Mark Antony to protect her!"
However, Gossip Cop debunked the report. Gadot announced back in October that she reunited with "Wonder Woman" director Jenkins for "Cleopatra." She said she teamed up with Jenkins "to tell her [Cleopatra's] story for the first time through women's eyes, both behind and in front of the camera."
The casting created a furore among people who accused the moviemakers of "cultural whitewashing" of the Egyptian queen. Social media users said that an Arab or African actress should play the role of Cleopatra — who was descended from an Ancient Greek family of rulers called the Ptolemy dynasty.
Born in Egypt in 69 BC, Cleopatra went on to rule the Nile kingdom when it was a client state of Rome. She is widely believed to be of mixed-race since she was Macedonian-Greek on her father Ptolemy XII's side. However, her mother's ethnic origin remained unknown and hence, Cleopatra's "skin tone" remained shrouded in mystery.
