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    • Gladiator filmmakers accused of being anti-Palestinian for cutting scenes from May Calamawy
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    Gladiator filmmakers accused of being anti-Palestinian for cutting scenes from May Calamawy

    Vaseline Posted on

    Social media users do criticized the makers of the new one Gladiator II film for cutting all scenes of Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy, who was expected to play a major role in the blockbuster film.

    Reactions to Thursday’s news have sparked widespread debate on social media about why Calamawy was removed from the film. Many believe this was due to her Palestinian heritage and public support for Gaza, while others say this was to shorten the two and a half hour film.

    The Oscar-winning production Gladiator The sequel was reportedly still filming when the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, during which Calamawy posted pro-Palestine content online.

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    The announcement of Calamawy’s role in the film was welcomed with excitement in May 2023 by the Arab and Middle Eastern audiences who had seen her in her breakthrough role in Marvel Studios Moon Knight and the popular Hulu series, Ramy.

    The Deadline article announcing her casting noted that the director, Ridley Scott, was meticulous about who would fill the female lead role and had to “thoroughly search” before Calamawy got the role.

    A photo from the film released earlier this year showing Calamawy and Paul Mescal kissing led many to believe that she would be the love interest of the film’s main character.

    For many audience members who saw the film’s premiere on Thursday, it was a surprise that Calamawy was not the female lead they expected, nor even a supporting cast member: she had no dialogue and was only seen in the background of a few scenes. .

    “I just came from a screening of ‘Gladiator 2’, it was really good… but I do have a question where May Calamawy is because she wasn’t in it!!!” one social media user posted on X.

    Many online see the reduction of her role as an attempt to suppress and censor Palestinians in the entertainment industry.

    “May Calamawy, who actively advocates for Palestine, is one of my main reasons for supporting and enthusing about this film. I just want to see her next big role in the theater. Now I don’t want to see it anymore. LAWARDS!” one message reads.

    Many also reported that Calamawy’s role was replaced by Israeli actress Yuval Ronen, but it appears that both were cast in the film before it started filming and are photographed together during filming. They also follow each other on Instagram.

    Contrary to those who believe that Calamawy’s disdain in the film is due to her Palestinian identity, others online argue that it stemmed from a need to shorten the film’s length.

    “Even major celebrities get cut from movies all the time. There is only one female lead in the entire movie and that is Connie Nielsen. The woman who plays Paul Mescal’s wife has two lines and plays for a total of five minutes… I know that it seems conspiratorial, but it just doesn’t make sense,” reads one message.

    Amid the debate, many have pointed out the director’s history with Middle Eastern representation in his films.

    In a 2014 interview with Variety Magazine, Scott responded to criticism that his biblical epic film, Exodus: Gods and kingsabout Moses leading the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt, featured a predominantly white European cast.

    “I can’t put on a film of this budget, where I rely on tax breaks in Spain, and say that my protagonist Mohammed is so-and-so from so-and-so,” he told the magazine. “I just can’t get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.”

    Regardless of the reasoning behind Calamawy’s limited role, the immediate backlash has dented excitement about the film for many pro-Palestinian viewers.

    Some online have said they won’t watch the film again; Others have even called for a boycott.

    “If the rumors of May Calamawy being removed from Gladiator II and replaced by Yuval Gonen are true, then this sequel is already a loss of integrity,” one social media user wrote on X.

    “You can’t make movies about the courage of slaves standing up for freedom and perform tone-deaf revisionism in IMAX.”

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