D&D Movie/TV (Yet another) D&D Movie Speculation thread.

[Quartz]

They should have chosen a black actress, since the ruling Egyptian dynasty at the time was black

Sorry, but they were Greek.

 

[Azzy]

Sorry, but they were Greek.

Initially, at least. Did the Ptolemaic line interbreed with either the native Egyptians or Nubians or did it keep importing Greeks? Is that even recorded or hinted at?

 

[Quartz]

Initially, at least. Did the Ptolemaic line interbreed with either the native Egyptians or Nubians or did it keep importing Greeks? Is that even recorded or hinted at?

They married each other. The Cleopatra of fame, for instance, married her brother.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Initially, at least. Did the Ptolemaic line interbreed with either the native Egyptians or Nubians or did it keep importing Greeks? Is that even recorded or hinted at?

There in no record of Cleopatra's mother's lineage. If she had been a Ptolemy you would expect to see a record. Ergo, she was most likely native. There are other similar gaps further up her lineage, suggesting the Ptolemys interbred on a fairly regular basis.

 

[Azzy]

They married each other. The Cleopatra of fame, for instance, married her brother.

I went to look at the specifics of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, because I knew it was more convoluted than just that because of the Egyptophilia from my youth (there was a Queen of Cyrene and a princess of the Seleucid Empire at least). But I stopped halfway through the dynasty because I got bored with the Alexandrian soap opera and there's only so much research I want to do for a fairly trivial internet discussion. It seems, though, that, even when the Ptolemys weren't being incestuous, they still kept it pretty Greek.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I saw a column about Ptolemaic Egypt once...

 

[guachi]

Warwick Davis was also the main star in Willow. But that still leaves our total of short actors at about two.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Warwick Davis was also the main star in Willow. But that still leaves our total of short actors at about two.

In the USA, Willow was released in May 1988...juuuuuust outside of my 30 year time frame.

 

[Sadras]

It's controversial and unclear (and can be Googled), but she was certainly darker skinned than the average Italian, who are darker skinned than the average Liz Taylor.

Darker than Elizabeth Taylor is most likely, but how dark is anybody's guess...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Warwick Davis was also the main star in Willow. But that still leaves our total of short actors at about two.

Three. There is also Deep Roy, who played the Oompa Lumpas in Charlie and the Chocolate factory. I didn't mention him because I can't find any record of him playing an actual dwarf*. A long time ago he was the awesome Mr Sin in The Talons of Weng Chiang though.

*I seem to remember him playing the dwarf in a TV version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I can't find a citation for it.