Apparently in 2015 there was a Peter Pan remake called Pan. You’d be forgiven for not remembering, as practically no one went to see it.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Rooney Mara, the actress cast as Tiger Lily, broke her silence about the backlash her casting created. Fans criticized Pan for whitewashing the role, as Tiger Lily is a Native American according to the 1911 novel by JM Barrie titled Peter and Wendy. All other Hollywood and animation adaptions have featured a Native American actress for the role, but not Pan .
Rooney Mara has finally broken her silence on her casting. In an interview, she told the Telegraph, “There were two different periods; right after I was initially cast, and the reaction to that, and then the reaction again when the film came out. I really hate, hate, hate that I am on that side of the whitewashing conversation. I really do. I don’t ever want to be on that side of it again. I can understand why people were upset and frustrated.”
Although the film had movie star and Wolverine Hugh Jackman, it was a financial failure with a $128.3 million box office against a $150 million budget. Currently in Hollywood, the roles available to minorities, especially Native Americans, are extremely limited. If they can’t even get roles specifically written as Native Americans, which roles can they get?