Egyptian-Palestinian actress' removal from Gladiator II sparks controversy

The upcoming release of Gladiator II sparked significant controversy, particularly over the removal of scenes featuring Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy.

Originally expected to have a significant role, Calamawy was only briefly seen in background shots without speaking lines during the film's premiere on Thursday and listed on Gladiator II's Wikipedia as "originally set to star as the female protagonist appears in a minimal uncredited role, leading to widespread surprise among fans".

Director Ridley Scott had reportedly conducted a thorough search for the role, raising expectations that Calamawy's role would be pivotal in the film.

The decision to cut her scenes has generated a flurry of online speculation. Some suggest that Calamawy's outspoken support for Palestine, especially condemning the Israeli Occupation genocide in Gaza, could be a factor in her removal. In contrast, others speculate the decision was based on the film’s editing process and runtime. Gladiator II was still in production when the war broke out, and Calamawy had shared pro-Palestinian views on social media around that time.

Before the film's release, her role had been described as "important" in early reports, and fans were excited to see her part in the sequel. However, as promotional materials and trailers were released, there was no indication that she would play a lead role, leaving many questioning the extent of her involvement.

Additionally, there is some speculation online that Calamawy's role was reportedly replaced by "Israeli" actress Yuval Gonen, which enraged many users online.

If the rumours of May Calamawy being cut from Gladiator II to be replaced by Yuval Gonen are true, then this sequel is already a loss of integrity. You can't make movies about the bravery of slaves rising up to freedom and carry out tone-deaf revisionism in IMAX.

— Steve- King of Coffee  (Hurry Up Tomorrow Era) (@DaybreakReborn) November 15, 2024

Calamawy had been rumored to play the romantic interest of Paul Mescal's character, Lucius, after a promotional still showing them kissing surfaced earlier this year. However, now on Wikipedia, Gonen is listed as "Lucius's wife" and the promotional still now includes Gonen and Mescal kissing.

Here are some online reactions:

may calamawy u will always be famous. hope gladiator flops with that freak ass zionist. https://t.co/6iS9lcfS43 pic.twitter.com/KSwAfqvELB

— fruit fly (@crosshairlvr) November 15, 2024

give me all the may calamawy scenes rn @ridleyscott u can’t hide a baddie like this https://t.co/Yf99hsEQfQ pic.twitter.com/IT6tmLb2l5

—  (@jasontoddrealgf) November 15, 2024

just watched gladiator 2 and May Calamawy was just an extra in a couple of scenes with no dialogue even though she was announced as the female lead pic.twitter.com/Pjglwxn0D9

— lina  (helnik’s version) layal nr1 fan (@amzliafraser) November 10, 2024

The fact they cut ALL of May Calamawy’s scenes from Gladiator 2 shows where they stand. pic.twitter.com/zK3yoTHwsk

— Noor  (@NoorAlmuzaffar) November 15, 2024

I’m really confused about the May Calamawy erasure from the Gladiator 2 press tour. I thought she was the female lead or that her character had somewhat of an importance in the film? pic.twitter.com/bUH7O2SBFg

— Shank (@Shankballs) November 14, 2024