Angelina Jolie's Role as Cleopatra in Upcoming Film Sparks Racially-Charged Outrage as Black Actresses Passed Over

Angelina Jolie's latest film role portraying legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra sparks racially-charged outcry as black actresses passed over for the role.

As if we have nothing better to worry about, Essence Magazine is getting up in arms that Angelina Jolie may be cast as the next Cleopatra, the legendary queen of the Nile, in an upcoming film. There were some whites who were upset that black actor, Idris Elba, was tapped to play the role of Norse deity Heimdall in Kenneth Branagh's new film Thor. Big deal. The beef I have is whites playing blackface, as in Tropic Thunder and Soul Man. Jolie, 35, has now found herself caught up in a racially charged debate over whether the role should have been played by a black woman. Let's not forget that Elizabeth Taylor played the role of Cleopatra in 1963 and I can't recall reading about any such outrage, since the movie was released before I was born.

Herein lies the problem I have with the film. The producer, Scott Rudin, previously told USA Today the role is being developed with Angelina in mind as she has 'the perfect look'. Really? What is the perfect look? There are many black actresses far better looking than Angelina Jolie. That statement was divisive and just plain wrong.

An Essence Magazine online story asks, 'Another White Actress to Play Cleopatra?'

'Honestly, I don't care how full Angelina Jolie's lips are, how many African children she adopts, or how bronzed her skin will become for the film, I firmly believe this role should have gone to a black woman.'Jolie adopted her daughter Zahara,5, from Ethiopia and gave birth to Shiloh,3, in Namibia. She also has 3 other children with partner, Brad Pitt. Maddox, 8, Pax, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2.'Were Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry and Thandie Newton unavailable for auditions that day?' the writer continued.

'Why does Hollywood think it’s even slightly plausible to cast white women in roles that would be more sensible to cast a black actress for? Especially when that role is an African queen. The film is being directed by Ocean’s 11's Steven Soderberg, who originally planned to turn Cleopatra into a $30 million 3D epic starring Catherine-Zeta Jones and Hugh Jackman.  Source: Daily Mail

Essence magazine is taking the wrong position on this issue. If the truth be told, then Idris Elba shouldn't be playing the role of Heimdall in Thor because the role should have gone to a white man. Or, we shouldn't have a black Macbeth, because it's safe to say that character was white. I could go on and on. I would consider the Essence magazine article to be plausible if they had attacked the comments made by the producer that Angelina Jolie had the "perfect look," not just complained that a black actress should have been cast in the role.