It was the year 2002 when iconic Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci donned a gold gown for the role of Cleopatra. Starring in a film titled Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, the film is simply one of the greatest ever made.
Before talks of Gal Gadot portraying the role of Cleopatra came to light, Monica Bellucci had already done it decades ago. Even after 2 decades, fans are still admiring the actress and her beauty.
When Monica Bellucci Portrayed The Role of Queen Cleopatra
Credit where credit is due, the French name for the film is actually Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre. The 2002 film is a German-French comedy/adventure movie by director Alain Chabat.
Starring a plethora of characters, the film had Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu reprising their roles as Asterix and Obelix respectively. However, the film also featured Monica Bellucci as the beautiful Queen Cleopatra.
Despite being an Italian actress and model, Bellucci’s portrayal received worldwide fame and critical acclaim. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra found the biggest opening in French theaters at that time and the film was a commercial success.
Even after 2 decades, fans are still in awe of her beauty and the iconic role that she played in the comedy film. Taking to their social media accounts on X, fans couldn’t help but gush over the actress’ beauty.
Monica Bellucci as Cleopatra pic.twitter.com/KaUp8NbAhm
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) November 8, 2024
As history tells it, Queen Cleopatra was the ruler of Egypt and she had an affair with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The character has often been portrayed as a seductress and that is what Gal Gadot aims to change.
With the reports that Gadot is going to portray the role of Cleopatra, people questioned about Gadot’s lineage. Being an Israeli actress, fans took offense about the casting of Gadot as Cleopatra. On the other hand, Gal Gadot is moving ahead with her project despite the controversies.
Gal Gadot Wants To Change The Narrative Around Cleopatra
Being an Israeli actress, there was a lot of uproar when Gadot announced that she was going to portray the role of Queen Cleopatra in a film titled Cleopatra. Although there haven’t been many updates about the film, Gadot is still going strong.
In a 2023 interview with Variety, Gadot talked about how Cleopatra was often portrayed as a seductress in films. However, she feels that Cleopatra was so much more than that.
In the interview, the actress touched upon the Queen’s history, her relationship with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, and how, she was much more than a seductress.
Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra, and she’s like a household name. You know, if Wonder Woman is the imaginary strong female leader, Cleopatra’s actually the real one.
She continued,
All I ever saw in regards to Cleopatra from film was that she was this seductive woman who had an affair with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. But the truth is, there’s so much more to her.
At the moment, there are no confirmed updates regarding the status of the film. All we can say is that Cleopatra is currently in pre-production as Gadot is in no hurry to make the film.
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra received a rating of 6.7/10 on IMDB and a whopping 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 2002 film is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
