Queen Cleopatra director Tina Gharavi recently defended her upcoming Netflix documentary series amid backlash regarding the race of the Egyptian ruler. Black actress Adele James stars as the legendary North African ruler in a four-part dramatized retelling of Cleopatra VII Philopator's historic reign. Due to the show's casting choice, Gharavi and executive producer Jada Pinkett-Smith have received criticism accusing Queen Cleopatra of blackwashing history.

Gharavi defended Queen Cleopatra in Variety, writing a guest column to explain what drew her to the documentary project while tackling the blackwashing backlash head-on. Watching Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor portray the titular queen in Cleopatra (1963) as a child, Gharavi recalled questioning the ruler's heritage, "Was her skin really that white?" After a wealth of research, the director admits to pondering the "political act" of casting Cleopatra with a black actress. "Why shouldn’t Cleopatra be a melanated sister," she asks, "And why do some people need Cleopatra to be white?...