Director Joe Wright has shared his thoughts on casting a Caucasian actress for the character Tiger Lily in his forthcoming film "Pan."
Wright cast Rooney Mara as the native character in his upcoming film. In his interview with New York Daily News, Wright said that he had thought on the concept of having a Native American tribe, which had made him concerned.
Director Wright added that could not make up his mind and he had felt that choosing one race would have been an imprudent move. Overall, the director said that he had considered their possibility as the native people of the planet.
Mara is not the only Caucasian artist that had been cast in the role of iconic native characters. "Southpaw" actor Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as Dastan in Mike Newell's 2010 film "Prince of Persia" while "Shutter Island" actor Ben Kingsley played the role of The Mandarin in Shane Black's 2013 Marvel film "Iron Man 3."
The casting issue had received criticism from people, as it had been a big deal among present Hollywood films. As per Cinema Blend, the 2015 Oscar ceremony also got repercussions from the audience when the lead and supporting actors were white.
Aside from "Pan," Mara is set to appear in David Fincher's mystery thriller "The Girl Who Played with Fire," Jim Sheridan's drama film "The Secret Scripture," Benedict Andrews' drama film "Blackbird," and Garth Davis' drama film "Lion."
Meanwhile, "Pan" follows the story of an orphan who reached the magical place called Neverland. Along with fun and peril, he finds out his fate, which is to become the iconic flying hero in Disney's classic tale "Peter Pan."
Aside from Mara, the film stars Hugh Jackman, Nonso Anozie, Garrett Hedlund, Amanda Seyfried, Cara Delevingne, and Levi Miller as Pan.
Directed by Wright, "Pan" is slated to premiere in theaters in the United States on Oct. 9, 2015. Watch the trailer here: