Angelina Jolie has taken on her fair share of challenging roles, but the Oscar-winning actress recently spoke about one of her most difficult roles to date: Cleopatra. Jolie is set to star in the remake of the critically-acclaimed, 1963 film starring the legendary Elizabeth Taylor, and the actress is aware she has very large shoes to fill.
The big screen remake, entitled “Queen of the Nile: Cleopatra, A Life” is said to be a unique interpretation of the classic tale. Prior to her death, Elizabeth Taylor reportedly voiced concerns about the remake, particularly the casting of Jolie in her iconic role, but Jolie promises to honor Taylor’s role amidst the controversy. “My performance will never be as lovely as Elizabeth’s,” the actress told the Telegraph in a recent interview.
Jolie plans to approach the Egyptian queen from a different angle. “We are trying to get into a different truth about her as a pharaoh in history and not as a sex symbol, because she really wasn’t,” she said. “She has been very misunderstood.”
In order to give the audience a better look into the true character of the monarch, the actress wants to steer clear of portraying her as only a glamorous beauty and instead focus on the stronger parts of her personality. “She was very interesting, but she wasn’t a great beauty,” said Jolie. “She was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader.”
The film doesn’t hit theaters until 2013, and the director has yet to be confirmed, but Jolie has expressed interest in working with David Fincher of “The Social Network.” The male lead is still up in the air as well, but Johnny Depp thinks Jolie’s beau Brad Pitt would be a good fit. “They’re the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of our era,” Depp said.