Gladiator 2 under fire for removing scenes of Palestinian-Egyptian actress, May Calamawy

 One of the most anticipated movies of the year, Gladiator 2 is under fire across social media after fans noticed that scenes of Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy were cut despite the movie hinting at a key role in the movie. 

The backlash started when viewers noticed that Calamawy only appeared briefly in scenes across the movie without having dialogue, although the actress was present in marketing posters and an intimate scene with actor Paul Mescal who plays Lucius in Gladiator 2.

Mescal was joined by other renowned actors including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, C onnie Nielson, and Joseph Quinn.

Gladiator 2 under fire for removing scenes of Palestinian-Egyptian actress

May Calamawy’s scenes being cut from the movie sparked debate among Pro-Palestine users on the internet as they questioned the reason behind the director’s bizarre choice. Some also pointed out that Calamawy who is Egyptian-Palestinian was replaced with Israeli actress Yuval Gonen.

The movie did receive overall positive reviews from the audience and critics alike for its visuals and compelling action scenes, but many fans pointed out that its predecessor which was released 24 years ago is just better in every aspect leaving them wanting more from the sequel starring Mescal and Pascal.

May Calamawy saw a rise in fans after appearing in Marvel’s Moon Knight starring herself and Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector.

The world has witnessed a rise in pro-Palestine voices due to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of nearly 44,000 Palestinians and the injuring of at least 103,000 including children.

Calls for boycott were shared across social media as pro-Palestine users urged people who care for Gaza to not buy tickets for Gladiator 2 due to the removal of May Calamawy from it.