Netflix’s “Mary” has ignited discussion across Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities — and for good reason. Netflix chose the Israeli actress Noa Cohen for the starring role of Mary, a figure central to both Christianity and Islam. But while Cohen’s portrayal may aim for modern relatability, it has also sparked controversy due to the actress’s background.
Mary, a first-century Christian woman from the Middle East, would undoubtedly have shared similarities to the indigenous Middle Easterners in both appearance and heritage. Casting someone of European descent in her role raises critical questions about how the media shapes historical narratives.
The Heart of the Controversy
This isn’t about criticizing a Jewish actress playing (Christian) Mary or taking issue with a Gen Z-inspired portrayal of a first-century woman. Modern adaptations often simplify historical stories to connect with contemporary audiences. Netflix claims that “Mary” will show “a side of the Queen of All Saints we rarely see on screen.” However, there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
Mary’s early life is rooted in Nazareth, with her lineage tied to Bethlehem and the broader Middle Eastern region. Casting an actress with European and Israeli roots reinforces a modern Israeli identity that traces its ancestry to ancient Judea. This portrayal risks sidelining the narratives of Palestinians — Jewish-turned-Christian, Christian-born, and Muslim alike — many of whom see Mary as a symbol of their cultural and spiritual heritage.
To all of us who hold Mary in high regard, this casting choice doesn’t just reimagine her story; it’s an erasure of Palestinians’ history and deep-rooted presence in the land.
Worst of all, it gives Israel the green light to persist in the Middle East with its settler colonial whitewashing dogma despite its systematic tactics of terror and war crimes perpetrated on Palestinian civilians and innocent children ever since its inception.
Why Representation Matters
The frustration surrounding “Mary” isn’t about one casting choice; it’s about the stories we tell and who gets to tell them. Representation in media shapes our subconscious, reinforcing certain narratives while erasing others.
Casting a European Israeli actress as Mary subtly aligns the ancient figure with a modern, Eurocentric Israeli identity — all while glossing over the fact that the state of Israel was established in 1948 after a wave of European migration.
This isn’t merely about historical accuracy; it’s about how these portrayals influence our understanding of who belongs to the region.
This isn’t merely about historical accuracy; it’s about how these portrayals influence our understanding of who belongs to the region. For Palestinians, who live under occupation and constant unaliving and displacement, such choices exacerbate a long history of being erased from the cultural and historical narrative.
Stories are never just stories. They carry weight and shape how we see ourselves, each other, and the world. Screenplays like “Mary” have the potential to either bridge divides or deepen them, depending on how they’re depicted on screen. The role that an Israeli with European roots is starring in could have been represented by an Indigenous Middle Easterner, especially because we don’t get to see them gracing the screens while representing a story that belongs to their lands.
Indigenous Middle Easterners have long been confined to roles on screen that perpetuate stereotypes, often portraying them as exotic, backward, extremist, or inferior. This demeaning portrayal stems from a long history of Orientalism — a framework discussed extensively by Edward Said, a Palestinian American literary critic, academic, and activist. He observed that this perspective creates “a kind of image of the timeless Orient,” portraying it as static and unchanging, in contrast to the dynamic, evolving West.
Said also highlighted how the West has historically viewed the Middle East, both Arab and non-Arab, through a distorted lens that homogenizes its diverse cultures and peoples. Renowned American scholar and author Jack Shaheen built on this critique in his book “The TV Arab,” where he explored how Western media perpetuates these oversimplified and harmful stereotypes. He recounted a telling example during the Iranian hostage crisis when American students conflated Iranian and Arab identities, calling Arab American classmates “dirty Iranians.”
The concept of “Orientalism” transcends the borders of the Middle East, extending its discriminatory reach to many Asian cultures and other non-Western societies. A notable example of this dynamic arose when the live-action adaptation of the anime “Ghost in the Shell” cast a white actress in the lead role, sparking widespread backlash for its cultural appropriation.
Writing for Teen Vogue, a Filipino author highlighted how “Orientalism” perpetuates the idea that white characters are deemed “more relatable” to Western audiences than those from non-Western backgrounds.
Casting an Israeli actress of European descent as Mary aligns with the Western tendency to present narratives that feel relatable to its predominantly Western audience.
In the case of Netflix’s “Mary,” this same framework seems to be at play. Casting an Israeli actress of European descent as Mary aligns with the Western tendency to present narratives that feel relatable to its predominantly Western audience. If that doesn’t convince you of the enduring influence of the “Orient v. Occident” binary, here’s what will:
Just days after Netflix announced “Mary,” featuring an Israeli actress in the lead role, Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy lost her lead role in “Gladiator II” because of her background. This is how Hollywood gets to capitalize on the normalization of the mainstream’s double standards: while whitewashed casting decisions like Mary are celebrated under the guise of relatability, actors from non-Western backgrounds face systemic exclusion.
The solution isn’t merely to boycott Netflix or rage against its casting choices; it’s to advocate for respecting the histories and multilayered identities that mainstream media gets to portray.
By grounding stories in truth and acknowledging the constantly sidelined identities, we create space for all backgrounds to have a meaningful representation that humanizes their existence and honors their human rights.
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