Angelina Jolie Urged To Reject ‘Cleopatra’ Film Role To Protect Shiloh And Other Kids From ‘Whitewashing’

Angelina Jolie is being urged to step down from what has the potential to become one of the biggest movie roles of her life. Why should Jolie refuse a possible box office hit? It’s all about protecting the six kids who Angelina shares with Brad Pitt: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Vivienne, Knox, and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. The concern about the film focuses not on the physical danger of making the movie, however, but on the possibility of what’s known as “whitewashing.”

Angelina Jolie Linked To Queen Cleopatra: Should She Step Away From Coveted Role For Kids?

Yahoo issued the call for Jolie to refuse the role in Cleopatra. The pressure for Angelina to step down from the film comes amid new interest in Cleopatra, with discussion about who should direct Sony’s version of the movie. That heightened attention to the film has sparked the push for Jolie to follow the example set by British actor Ed Skrein.

The British actor exited the Hellboy reboot because the source comics show his character, Ben Daimio as Japanese-American. That move earned applause from the actor who took the role, Lost star Daniel Dae Kim, for supporting the concept that “Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors.”

Angelina’s role in Cleopatra is earning comparisons to the original casting of Hellboy, with Yahoo urging Jolie to follow the footsteps of Skrein in the interest of avoiding whitewashing accusations.

“It’s time for Angelina Jolie to follow Ed Skrein’s example by doing the right thing and recusing herself from the [Cleopatra] role.”

Although Angelina has been linked for some time to the movie, the publication contended that she should opt out in order to refrain from participating in what’s known as Hollywood’s “whitewashing” trend.

Will Angelina Jolie Reject Whitewashing Trend?

The Sony version of the movie is based on the biography Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile. The facts about Cleopatra’s ethnicity remain somewhat unclear, but it’s thought that she had Persian and Greek heritage. Yahoo noted that Jolie would do the role justice but warned that if Angelina participates in the film, she would be guilty of participating in the whitewashing trend.

“[Angelina] is a great actress and would do a good job in bringing the infamous Egyptian queen to life, [but] she’d be playing a far bigger role in continuing the terrible trend of whitewashing in Hollywood.”

While Elizabeth Taylor famously played Cleopatra, the history of the Queen indicates that she was “probably mixed race, of Greek Macedonian, Persian, and Egyptian descent, with an olive to light brown skin tone,” according to Yahoo.

Angelina Jolie’s Prior Role Sparked Racial Controversy

The question of whether Jolie should participate in Cleopatra also shows how the whitewashing trend has changed. In 2007, Angelina used a curly wig and fake tan for her role in A Mighty Heart. Jolie’s character, Mariane Pearl, stirred controversy even then, with Angelina playing a woman who was of Afro-Cuban and Dutch heritage.

In its review, the Seattle Times reflected what many at the time felt, which was that casting Jolie in that role was an act of “racial insensitivity.” The review of the 2007 film pointed out that while not all agreed, some felt that it was whitewashing at its height.

“There are those who use the B-word — blackface — in decrying Jolie’s casting as the height of racial insensitivity.”

In urging Jolie to step away from Cleopatra, Yahoo pointed to Angelina’s and Brad Pitt’s kids.

Angelina Jolie’s Kids Have Different Ethnic Backgrounds

Jolie currently is earning praise for her movie, First They Killed My Father. Angelina has shared that one of her sons, born in Cambodia, inspired her to make that film. Consequently, Yahoo contended that Jolie should become one of those walking away from the whitewashing trend.

“One would think that Jolie would want to be a part of changing this aspect of the industry as the mother of children of varying ethnic backgrounds.”

Although Yahoo questioned whether Angelina would “like to have her kids see more faces that looked like them on screen and telling their stories,” Jolie and Brad Pitt actually have three biological kids.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was Angelina’s and Brad’s first biological child together, while Jolie and Pitt welcomed twins Knox and Vivienne to the world in 2008, noted CNN. Angelina adopted Maddox from Cambodia and Zahara from Ethiopia, both of whom were later adopted by Brad. Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam, and he also was later adopted by Pitt.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]