Queen Cleopatra: Adele James responds to backlash over her role in Netflix’s historical drama

The Netflix series directed by Jada Pinkett Smith has been accused of “blackwashing” a historical Egyptian icon.

Actor Adele James has responded to backlash over her casting in the upcoming Netflix docudrama Queen Cleopatra. It was announced in April that the Casualty star would play the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra in the series. The 27-year-old British actress believes she has “every right to have a shot at humanising this incredible woman”.

The second instalment of Jada Pinkett Smith’s African Queens series follows the rule of Cleopatra in the final years of the Ptolemaic dynasty in the North African kingdom of Egypt. However, it has attracted criticism in Egypt after it was accused of “blackwashing” the country’s historical icon.