Gal Gadot Says Her Cleopatra Film Will ‘Change the Narrative’ of the Queen ‘Simply Being a Seductor’

Cleopatra star Gal Gadot hopes her upcoming film will shed light on the real Egyptian queen.

During an interview with Vogue, she explained why the old Hollywood interpretation of Cleopatra needs to change.

“I’m so passionate to tell her story and to bring justice to this character, and her legacy and celebrate her and her legacy,” she said. “We have a beautiful script, and I cannot wait to share this story with the world and change the narrative of Cleopatra simply being a seductor.”

Cleopatra was famously played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film Cleopatra, opposite Richard Burton as Mark Antony. “All I ever saw in regards to Cleopatra from film, was that she was this seductive woman who had an affair with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony,” said Gadot. “But the truth is, there’s so much more to her. This woman was so ahead of her time.”

Gadot first signed onto the movie back in 2020 when the production was still being helmed by Wonder Woman director, Patty Jenkins. However, Jenkins later dropped out of the project.

“If Wonder Woman is the imaginary strong female leader, Cleopatra’s actually the real one,” said Gadot. “That’s a perfect example of a story that I wanted to tell because I started reading different books about Cleopatra, and I said, ‘Wow, that’s fascinating’.”

Gadot hopes to shine more of a light on Cleopatra’s accomplishments as a leader. “Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra,” she explained. “She’s like a household name.”

Although Gadot is clearly looking forward to the role, she recently came under fire for the movie, with some critics claiming her casting amounts to whitewashing. However, Gadot defended her position.

“First of all if you want to be true to the facts then Cleopatra was Macedonian,” she told the BBC. “We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.”

Want to read more about Gal Gadot? Check out who’s getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as details about her cameo in The Flash.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.