Casting of Rooney Mara in Peter Pan Film Sparks Online Protest
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Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Warner Bros.’ decision to cast Rooney Mara as the princess Tiger Lily in its Peter Pan original story Pan has inspired a new online petition.
The Care2 petition, which is directed at Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, calls for his studio to “stop casting white actors to play people of color.”
The petition notes Mara, who is white, was cast as a character who is Native American. It states, “This casting choice is particularly shameful for a children’s movie. Telling children their role models must all be white is unacceptable.”
The petition also cites reports that described Pan as a “multi-racial/international” story, yet “it stars Mara and two white guys — Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hedlund. Not so multi-racial after all, Warner Bros.”
Jackman is set to play Blackbeard and Hedlund will fill the role of Hook in Pan, which is scheduled to open on July 17, 2015.
At last check, the petition had garnered more than 5,000 signatures, about 1,000 shy of its goal.
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