Imagine 1963; the politics, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War. Fast forward 35 years;
- Barack, a man of obvious African descent, is realistically running for the presidency
- Halle and Denzel have Oscars in leading roles (Morgan finally got his for supporting)
- Oprah is arguably the most powerful woman in America (Condi coming in a close second)
- Tyra has managed to create and host two surprisingly successful television programs (my she’s come a long way from Victoria’s Secret and Sports Illustrated)
- Beyonce is EVERYWHERE
- Cool is defined by Rihanna, Kanye and Usher
- Two of the “whitest “sports in history are dominated by Tiger, Venus and Serena.
- My 40 year-old boss is greeting me with a daily frat boyish “Yo”, a fist pound and discussing how T.I. is true gangsta rap
- There is a line of clothing actually called Apple Bottoms (It still amazes and mystifies me when people suffering from the dreaded Noassatall (sound it out) have baggy apples for pockets)
- Queen Latifah, rapper-turned-actress-turned-singer-turned-actress, is the only celebrity in history (at least in the US) to have her own full line of branded cosmetics under a major cosmetic distributor (Go Cover Girl!! The Queen’s Collection in the light purple packaging.)
- And I use all of their first or stage names because everyone knows EXACTLY who I’m talking about.
African-Americans have come a long way in 35 years. (Permanently pigmented brothers and sisters of lighter shades, keep your head up. There is hope for us all!)
However, the one iconic role identified with the entire continent of Africa has been once again given to an actress lacking of pigment (at least in her skin). The Welsh-beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones is said to have been cast to play the iconic Egyptian-beauty Cleopatra in an upcoming film. Now, I LOVE Catherine. I think she is truly one of the most gorgeous, glamorous and classy actresses of her time. We forgave her horrible accent in Zorro and delighted in her acrobatic skills in Entrapment. We laughed at the worst movie ever, America’s Sweethearts, and cheered her (and her wig) on in Chicago. But Cleopatra: The Musical starring Catherine Zeta-Jones is just ridiculous!
Are you telling me that there is not one pigmented beauty (who can sing, dance and act) they could possibly cast as Cleopatra? Not one? And I don’t just mean throw a black girl in some gold jewelry and cat-eye makeup. Beyonce would be a mistake. No Cleopatra should EVER be blond. And while I’m sure Angela Bassett could get her groove back jungle fever-style with Hugh Jackman’s Marc Antony, the features would all be wrong. But what about Halle Berry, Rosario Dawson or Thandie Newton?
Do you think they considered any of these actresses for the iconic (and/or Oscar winning) roles of June Cleaver Carter, Queen Elizabeth, Helen of Troy, Joan of Arc or Jackie O.? “Well, of course not, Jo’van.” Weak cough, squirm in chair, clasp hands and lean forward for a more intimate delivery. “It’s not that these actresses could not have done amazing jobs. We just wanted a true historical representation.” So why the hell the double-standard for this character? Everyone knows she was the ruler of Egypt (which happens to be in northern Africa for all casting directors who seem to overlook that fact).
I understand why an undiscovered (more physically appropriate) actress for a film of this magnitude would not be chosen. But at least pretend like you tried. Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra was wrong in 1963 but it was at least understood for the time. We’ve come so far since then. Can’t people of African descent finally claim this one historic role on the big screen? The most beautiful (or desirable, depending on how you see it) woman in history was brown, the shade variant is debatable but brown nonetheless. Can we finally claim her as our own and see an image closer to a “true historical representation”? Catherine Zeta-Jones with a spray tan and liquid eyeliner is not enough in 2008! If that’s the case, let’s do a bio-pic on Jackie O. starring Halle Berry!
Annoyed,
Jo’van
(Note: I said that Cleopatra is the most beautiful woman in history, because being the Latin geek that I am, I consider Helen of Troy the most beautiful woman in mythology. And don’t get me started on the horrible casting for her role in Troy. Brad Pitt or not, there was absolutely no reason for Achilles to be prettier than her.)
Leave a comment
No comments yet.
The Truth: According to Jo'van 
Leave a comment