Why is it that in films like the 'The Mummy', the actors who play the ancient egyptians are always white?

Question

Weren't the ancient egyptians black, or at least tan coloured. Is hollywood ignorant or just racist?

Answer 1

Dont know - same as I didnt know the time before when you asked or the time before that ??? Why do you keep asking the same question ????????????

Answer 2

Doyou mean the new mummy or the Boris Karloff mummy? The new one had oodles of umm swarthy skinned men playing Egyptians. The old Boris Karloff movie was made during ba different era and it is doubtful that there were many foreign actors in Hollywood at all.

Answer 3

I think you're right to a certain degree, sometimes you have to over look the casting and just enjoy the film, I love both of the films, they are such fun.....but....the best casting I have ever seen for egyptians was in Micheal Jacksons video 'remember the time' which had Eddie murphy and Iman cast as egyptians and the felt so right, there was nothing odd about that.

Answer 4

Slaves and people working outside in ancient Egypt would of had very dark skin, from exposure to the sun. However richer people would have been shaded from the sun and as a result of had lighter coloured skin! Yeah but Hollywood are incredibly ignorant!!

Answer 5

Some of the ruling family, the Ptolemy's were Greek and therefore white. but most of the Egyptians were Arabic or Black like the Nubians.

Answer 6

To me movies are a form of art and expression unless it's a documentary or based on a true story. The Mummy is fictional and I guess the writer and producer and whoever else was involved chose the cast the way they wanted. I doubt they intentionally did it to offend anyone.

Answer 7

All caucasian american actors are white. Hollywood is a dream factory! If they know their history (doubtful) they ignore it and just make it how they would like it to have been. It's no great shakes, 90 to 95 percent of the audience don't know any better iether!

Answer 8

Egypytians were not black that was the Nubians. They were not white either, and I also noticed the white egyptians in the Mummy.

Answer 9

Because Hollywood is the Man and they are keeping the brother down. Why pay black actors the man thinks when the pasty white guy can be used.

Answer 10

Um have you actually seen the film? they aren't white they're dark skinned like real egyptians were.
Having a friend of egyptian origin myself i would say they aren't all very dark skinned.
Plus in a film you have to allow for some poetic licence.

Answer 11

Its not as bad as kenneth williams in carry on up the khyber! Apparently eva mendes got picked for Hitch because she was dark enough to go with a black guy and white enough so as to not offend middle America.