Angelina Jolie Is Already Comparing Her Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra
Speaking with the U.K.'s Telegraph, Angelina Jolie addressed the inevitable comparisons between her future performance as Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor's iconic 1963 turn. "My performance will never be as lovely as Elizabeth's," she demurred, explaining that her David Fincher-directed version will be a more realistic biopic. For example, this Cleopatra won't be a seducer. So what can you look forward to from Jolie's Queen of the Nile?
"I thought it was all about the glamour, but then I read about her and she was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader," said Jolie. "We are trying to get into a different truth about her as a pharaoh in history and not as a sex symbol, because she really wasn't."
"Even this idea of her having many lovers," Jolie continued. "It was possible that it was only two. She is very interesting, but she wasn't a great beauty."
The Brian Helgeland-scripted adaptation is based on Stacy Schiff's biography Cleopatra: A Life, which posits the queen as a wily power broker and expert manipulator in her romantic relationships with Marc Antony and Julius Caesar. James Cameron was once in talks to direct, as was Paul Greengrass, before both opted out; Schiff previously voiced her hope that Brad Pitt might sign on as Marc Antony, which would really solidify Pitt and Jolie's status as the Liz Taylor and Richard Burton of their generation.
· Queen of Extremes: Angelina Jolie [Telegraph]
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Comments
ARE YOU KIDDING? CLEOPATRA. JOLIE AS CLEO....SHE IS NO WHERE LOOKING LIKE CLEOPATRA. CLEOPATRA IS NOT WHITE SKIN, SHE WAS DARK....NOT EVEN THAT FACE LOOKS CLEO. TRASH HER, GET SOMEBODY ELSE.
well, actually, since Cleopatra was Greek and not Egyptian, it is possible she had a light olive skin tone, rather like the Cleoptra in the 1999 show, but a bit lighter.
Not as dark.
If it's a "Fincher & Jolie Joint", I think i'd be ok with comparing.
The headline of this article is insinuating a whole lot of stuff that the article doesn't back up. At what point did Jolie compare her eventual performance to Taylor's? Aside from saying that it wouldn't be as "lovely"?
Furthermore, yes she is "already" talking about the role, but this was in response to a question. And considering that this website decided to publish her comments, I suppose the interest is already there, yes?
I don't quite know what the writer/editor of this piece was attempting to imply by adding the word 'already' to the headline, but it seems pretty unwarrented.
I'm sure she'll do her best, but the last thing the world needs right now is another different truth.
Cleopatra was Greek. The Ptolemies took over Egypt with Alexander the Great's wars, so yes...she was lighter skinned.
Know your history before you profess outrage.
Greek??? Oh right... and after Six generations, living in a sunny kingdom?
Ptolomeu was Macedonian but Cleopatra I was egyptian. All their descendants lived in Egypt, so, she was both.
"Know your history before you profess outrage. "
there is NO way this movie can live up to the book.
When it is this happening? I hadn't even heard that it was definitely a go. I thought Fincher was doing 20,000 Leagues next.
Coastal Egypt has a Mediterranean climate, much like that of Greece. The Ptolemy dynasty was Greco-Macedonian and somewhat inbred in the fashion of Egyptian Pharaohs of earlier times (so little or no mixing with darker Arab and African bloodlines). "Dark' in Cleopatra's case would be dark in the Mediterranean sense, much like Israelis. Living in Egypt doesn't magically change your ethnic make-up
Yes, she is of Greek descent. Alexander declared himself pharaoh abt 312 BCE. Later Ptolemy became pharaoh and started the last line of Pharaohs - the Ptolemies.
I don't mind Jolie playing the part. Its the acting that matters most.
BTW: I've been to Egypt twice. The residents didn't look dark to me.
Great ice cream and coffee bars in Cairo...!
I wish Angelina would put some weight on. She looks so much better (as do most women) when she's not skin and bone.
"...explaining that her David Fincher-directed version will be a more realistic biopic. For example, this Cleopatra won’t be a seducer."
You know there's some BS involved when Hollywood reassures they're true to life. The very nature of that comment confuses me, but maybe I'm just thinking too much into it. I also can't see how it's possible for Jolie to be on screen for 2 hours without any sex appeal (as she often brings some sort of "seducing" quality to her characters) -- but then she is a great actress, so maybe she'll pull it off.
Look cleopatra was of greek and nubian blood. The greek traditionwas to marry some of that land and eeven in the bible it says cleopatra momwas egyptian yes the bible talks about cleo in daniel. But anyway if ptolomies was the father whichis up for debate her mom was nubian. There are still some left over mixes like these in egypt in alexandria.
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