Is ‘Pan‘ movie racist? How whitewashing casting decisions ruined the movie
When it was announced that Rooney Mara was cast as Tiger Lily, the Internet erupted into controversy due to her being Caucasian, while Tiger Lily was traditionally portrayed as a Native American. Also considered for the role of Tiger Lily were actresses Lupita Nyong’o and Adéle Exarchopoulos. But, according to reports, Warner Bros. did not try to cast a single Native American woman for the role.
Critics of the casting noted that there were very few main roles for Native American women in Hollywood and that the only role that is specifically for a Native American, is given to a Caucasian woman. Therefore, hurting Native Americans trying to break into Hollywood and the film industry.
Well, recently, Rooney Mara responded to the casting controversy by saying she “felt really bad” about the whitewashing casting decision.
“It wasn’t great, I felt really bad about it. It was something that I thought about before I met with Joe. When I met with Joe and heard what his plans for it were, it was something I really wanted to be a part of. But I totally sympathize with why people were upset and feel really bad about it.”
Mara also told PEOPLE that she relates to her character because, “I think we’re both very independent women who can hold their own. We don’t need a man to save us.” However, she totally sympathizes with people who are upset.
According to TheWrap, director Joe Wright was trying to create a “very international and multi-racial” world, however the majority of the main characters are Caucasian. A petition was later created in response to casting to urge Warner Bros. to stop casting white actors in roles for people of color.
But, this is not the first the movie franchise Peter Pan was criticized for being racist. Critics of the casting in Pan suggested that Warner Bros. may have wanted to avoid repeating the history of racism of previous Peter Pan movies by altering the ethnicity of the Piccaninnies rather than the stereotypical portrayal of the source material. Many people also suggested that native actresses and actors were never given the opportunity to make it into the mainstream films, with Native American roles are typically given to non-Native American actors.
All of this could be the reason why ‘Pan’ is on track to be a major box-office disappointment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Peter Pan origin story is on track flop on the box office.
The Peter Pan origins story may have trouble clearing $30 million in its North American debut over the Oct. 9-11 weekend, a worrisome start for Warner Bros. considering the movie’s hefty production budget and marketing spend. Two of the major tracking services have Pan debuting at $21 million to $22 million, while a third has it opening between $26 million and $31 million, according to those with access to the surveys.
In fact, Pan has received poor reviews, despite adding hours of additional special effects work after the movie was pushed back at the last minute from June 26th to October 9th.
It is important to note that Warner Bros. spent $150 million dollars to make this movie and it looks like it will be a long time before they make up for their loses.
Pan is a fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Wright and written by Jason Fuchs, and a prequel to Scottish author J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan story, first written in the early 20th century. Pan features Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, and Levi Miller as Peter pan. it is an invented origin stories depicting the origins of Peter Pan and Captain Hook.
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What do you think of the whitewashing accusations? Do you think it had an impact on Pan? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below.
