The highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’, comes ‘Gladiator II’, which has already received praise from fans and audiences. However, some audiences have noticed that the actress May Calamawy is rarely seen in the movie and has no lines.
Although it was previously reported in May 2023 that Calamawy would have a significant role in the film and was set to be the female lead, she is rarely spotted in the movie with limited screen time, reduced to being in the background scenes of famous actor Denzel Washington. This has caused criticism from fans who speculate her ethnicity may be why Calamawy is an Egyptian/Palestinian actress. This questions whether Calamawy’s scenes were cut from the movie because she is from a Palestinian background due to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.
How has the war between Palestine and Israel impacted actors?
Cancel-culture has detrimentally increased during the war between Palestine and Israel; this is because of the questionable support actors’ have shown for one country over the other. Actor Noah Schnapp (‘Stranger Things’) was previously ‘cancelled’ by fans due to his support for Israel. Meanwhile, actress Melissa Barrera, who previously starred in the revival of the ‘Scream’ franchise, was ‘fired’ from the production due to her support for Palestine. It was said that Barrera was set to star in the next ‘Scream’ trilogy, but after her pro-Palestinian posts, she was dropped from ‘Scream 7’. Melissa Barrera spoke with ‘THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’ on how she was dropped from the franchise: “It was just all sad because I really, deeply care about the franchise”. She also addressed her co-star Jenna Ortega’s departure from the franchise: “We chatted for a while, and I love her so much. She’s been very supportive of me and we’re sisters for life”. With actress May Calamawy rarely having any screen time in ‘Gladiator II’, it sparks questions on what actors’ political stance can and cannot be; are they not allowed to use their voices for good to raise awareness on these current worldly issues?
Although fans have speculated that Calamawy’s ethnicity may have contributed to her scenes being cut, nothing has been confirmed. She told Twitter that this movie was “one of the best experiences of her life.” Her co-star Pedro Pascal has supported the actress by posting pictures of her on his social media, showing them on the Gladiator II set in Morocco. This raises the question, ‘Is Hollywood trying to erase diversity and actors from using their voices?’ in the comment section.
By Jadeine
Boston High School Newsroom