Angelina Jolie has spoken of her determination to ensure that her take on Cleopatra is not seen as a “sex symbol”.
The Oscar-winning actress, who was cast in a big-screen adaptation of Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life last June, pledged to make her interpretation of the Egyptian legend deeper than the “great beauty” of Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic performance in the 1960s.
“She has been very misunderstood,” she told Stella Magazine. “I thought it was all about the glamour, but then I read about her and she was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader.
“My performance will never be as lovely as Elizabeth’s. We are trying to get into a different truth about her as a pharaoh in history and not a sex symbol, because she really wasn’t.
“Even this idea of her having many lovers – it was possible that it was only two. She is very interesting, but she wasn’t a great beauty.”
Jolie previously named Social Network director David Fincher as her choice to helm the 2013 epic. Bourne mastermind Paul Greengrass is said to be the project’s frontrunner.
James Cameron, who was himself rumoured to be involved with the Cleopatra remake, previously declared that Jolie’s performance will be “hot”.