Adele James addresses Queen Cleopatra’s ‘blackwashing’ claims

Adele James has recently addressed Queen Cleopatra’s blackwashing claims.

Speaking with Glamour, Adele, who plays the role of Macedonian-Greek ruler in the latest instalment of the Netflix African Queens show, opened up about receiving death threats for taking on the character.

“The only thing I can say about it [Cleopatra’s background) is that we just don’t know,” said the 27-year-old British actress.

The actress explained, “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,” stated the Casualty actress.

Adele also called the death threats and racist comments as “vitriol”.

“It’s not necessary, and it’s very harmful, all we did was release a trailer and look at the response, so I’m anticipating a wave still yet to come,” remarked the actress.

Adele, however, mentioned that she would not leave social media by trolls.

Previously, director Tina Gharavi also spoke in favour of the show after Egyptians rejected that Cleopatra was Macedonian-Greek.

Meanwhile, Cairo's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass slammed the documentary calling it “completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black”.