13 Dec 2023 1:21 am
I think he'll make a good George Washington.
Denzel Washington Under Fire For Portraying Character Of Different Ethnicity—The Latest Actor Drawing Criticism (msn.com)
Denzel Washington is facing criticism from Tunisian officials and media for his casting in an upcoming Netflix film as the ancient war general Hannibal, who was born in Tunisia but is of West Asian descent, making him the latest actor this year to face criticism for not matching the ethnic or racial origin of his character.Washington, a Black actor, is set to portray the Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming film, which has drawn the ire of some Tunisian officials because historians largely believe Hannibal is of Phoenecian descent. He is remembered as a hero in Tunisia: many stores and hotels bear his name, his face has long graced Tunisian currency and he is considered a source of national pride.
A Tunisian Member of Parliament criticized Washington’s casting, stating the film risks “falsifying history.” Tunisian culture minister Hayet Ketat-Guermazi said “We are all proud that he was Tunisian.” La Presse, a Tunisian newspaper, criticized Washington’s casting as, “according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error,” and blamed the casting choice on the “woke” movement.
Several recent films and television series have come under fire for casting actors to portray subjects of a different racial or ethnic origin. A black woman was cast as “Queen Cleopatra”.. Egypt’s antiquities ministry published a statement amid the controversy, citing experts who said Cleopatra had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics.” Egyptian archaeologist Mostafa Waziri said Netflix’s portrayal of the ruler was a “falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical fallacy.” Remakes of several classic Disney films came under fire this year for casting actors whose racial identities did not match the characters’ portrayal in the original. Some right-wing pundits and social media users accused Disney of going “woke” for casting Halle Bailey, a Black woman, and Rachel Zegler, a Hispanic woman, as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” and Snow White in an upcoming film.