Part 6/8:
This controversy is emblematic of ongoing tensions in the entertainment industry regarding race-swapping characters—both fictional and real. While Hollywood has increasingly embraced diverse casting for fictional characters, applying similar logic to historical figures, especially revered ones like Cleopatra, becomes contentious.
Many argue that such reimagining undermines historical truth and disrespects the cultures and people involved. The Egyptian government and scholars have made it clear that they see this as an unethical distortion, pressing legal and cultural safeguards against it.