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.
I was really fortunate as well because I work with a great acting mentor called Caroline Farrington, who's seen me through every role I've done in the last five years. And she had already been working with me in class on a part playing Queen Elizabeth. So I'd been playing a queen for a little while. I think that served me well!
You're definitely born to play a Queen! Although, to address the elephant in the room, did you expect your casting would become such a talking point and fuel conversations and debates about Cleopatra's actual identity?
I did think people would talk about it, and I did think people would be excited about it. I remember when I first got the audition and how excited I was that they were doing something like this in terms of the racial precedent, but also in terms of just humanising her on so many other levels and her not being likened to this sexual temptress that she's been portrayed to be. I was expecting some backlash because I grew up as a biracial woman in the Western world, and I know how things go, but I wasn't expecting the level of it. The lawsuits and accompanying things like that are a bit intense.
What would you like to say to those, especially within the Egyptian community, who have taken offence to the role of Cleopatra being played by a black, biracial actress?
The only thing I can say about it [Cleopatra's background) is that we just don't know. There are versions of Cleopatra that exist already with actresses in that role who are fairer skinned than I am, but I think I have every right to have a shot at humanising this incredible woman. We all put our blood, sweat and tears into that show, and I think anybody else has as much of a right as anybody else to have a go at it because we just don't know. But I guess my main thing is that there is no circumstance under which it is acceptable for anybody to treat me or anybody else the way that I and the cast and crew have been treated since the announcement. The death threats that I've received, the racist comments, it's just the vitriol. It's not necessary, and it's very harmful. I feel very sad for people that they would do that to someone they don't know or to someone they know.
The trolling is simply inexcusable! Following on from that, we've already seen you graciously shut down trolls on social media. From what you have experienced on the internet since the announcement, is the online space a safe space for you now?
It was scary to realise how easily you are exposed to it [trolling]. Even with all the security measures, I must have someone monitoring my account now. I mean, all we did was release a trailer and look at the response, so I'm anticipating a wave still yet to come. But I think social media and the internet have blown up at a rate that obviously none of us could have predicted. So it isn't necessarily the safest place to be. But me? I'm stubborn. I'm not being driven off of social media by anybody. Especially not bullies and racists.
But I'd say to anybody who does engage with social media to be careful. I don't think that means to be silenced, but the privacy settings only go so far. So it's important to be mindful. It's a tricky kind of beast! Some platforms are better than others with regard to their privacy settings and stuff, but I'm not worried about future projects because now I have a better idea of how to go about it. I understand now that I need someone in my team to help me look after that element of my career because I've never had to deal with that before.
Lyra McKee was just 29 when she was murdered.
Of course! You mentioned earlier that you should have the chance, like anyone else, to portray the character. What do you think will be the empowering message it gives young Black girls everywhere when they see you in that role?
I hope that it tells them that they are power. They come from power. They are power. They are beautiful. They are seen. They are so much more than what society has, particularly since the transatlantic slave trade has tried to tell them that they are. But also, I think as a person myself who is both Black and white, that blend is within me. I hope it also helps mixed people of mixed heritage feel seen as well because it's not just that she was potentially part Black. She was a mixture of so many things and a brilliant human being at the core of it all. She's amazing, but she's flawed as well. That's really important to draw upon for young people everywhere.
In that same aspect, did you have any particular struggles growing up in the Western world as someone from a mixed heritage background?
Yeah, I mean, as much as anybody does because it doesn't matter what colour you are, everybody faces identity crises. I think mine around race definitely impacted me just because I found other people like to try and pigeonhole me. Particularly as a young person who was quite easily influenced, maybe more easily influenced than I am these days, I found that I was too Black for some people and too white for some people. And people would kind of project this confusion onto me, and I would adopt that as if it was my own thinking about my identity.
I'm kind of in a place now where I'm like, "The world is unfair." I am racialised as Black by many people, and I don't have a problem with that. But for myself, I recognise that I'm just wholly me, and I don't deny my mum's side of the family any more than my dad's, despite how other people may perceive me. But the world is an unfair place, I think, for anybody who is not white. That's really sad. But I hope that at least through my work, I can try and tip the scales a little bit more in the other direction.
And what was it like working with Jada Pinkett-Smith?
We didn't get to meet her! The shoot was really tight. This time last year, there was quite a lot going on on her side of the pond. And it's not exactly a quick trip from LA to Morocco, so we haven't met her. But as far as I know, she was really involved in the casting process. There's this great affinity, and she's obviously narrated the series, and it's so mind-boggling to watch your face pop up on the screen with her voice on top!
Also, seeing the post [promoting Queen Cleopatra] on her Instagram after all these months and, "Oh my God, this is real. This is really happening" Yeah, I can't wrap my head around it, but I also must wrap my head around it!
It's set to uncover truth about the American supermodel.
I can only imagine how much of an incredible woman Jada is! And then Cleopatra was, of course, remembered as being incredible, too, amongst other things. With so many positive influences around past and present, how would you like to be remembered?
Oh, I just got goosebumps there! How would I like to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as someone who always made other people feel better for being in their presence. Someone who gave people space and was kind. That's the thing that's most important to me.
Lastly, it's not long before viewers finally see the long-awaited Queen Cleopatra for themselves. What do you hope they take away from it?
I hope they take away that Cleopatra was a human being, and that she's so much more than what we've come to understand about her up until now. And not just her, that all of these people from history, all these icons, Caesar, Mark Antony, all of them were human beings. They were real people who led real lives, and they had the same emotions and trials and tribulations that we have now, but they were just in very different circumstances. So I hope people see themselves in it in a way, hopefully with less danger!
Catch Adele James in Queen Cleopatra when it hits Netflix on 10 May.
