Adele James discusses ‘blackwashing’ backlash to Queen Cleopatra

Adele James is gearing up for the release of one of Netflix’s most talked-about docuseries, Queen Cleopatra. The second instalment of Jada Pinkett Smith’s African Queens series, the four-parter will dispel the notion that the iconic Egyptian female ruler was only known for her beauty, lust and romance and instead focus on her intellect and power that she held onto so passionately during her reign.

However, with the trailer released last month, Queen Cleopatra has sparked global controversy, particularly in Egypt, over the casting of biracial actress Adele. Many have accused the series of “blackwashing” a historical icon and “erasing Egyptian history and culture”, despite the age-old ambiguity over the racial identity of the real-life Cleopatra. Tina Gharavi, the director of the project, has since defended the casting, stating: “Doing the research, I realised what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress”.

And now Queen Cleopatra‘s leading lady herself, Adele, speaks out on the matter in an interview with GLAMOUR UK. From the reaction to her casting and the significance of having the opportunity to play the icon to handling the vitriolic trolling on social media and what she hopes people take away from the series, Adele has a lot to say.

GLAMOUR: Congratulations on Queen Cleopatra! We can only imagine how excited you are about it. But let’s rewind a bit: Were you ready to take on the challenge of portraying this iconic figure, or did you feel pressure?

Adele: Thank you! Well, a bit of it all, really. There were definitely moments when I felt the gravity of it. I mean, in the first five seconds after I got the call, I was ecstatic and confused, and also like, “Are you joking?!” Then, to be honest, I didn’t really have time to become too overwhelmed because I had two days to do Covid checks and pack my bags and make sure I had enough bucket hats to protect my face from the sun and get on a plane.