A Mighty Problem

Mariane Pearl, a journalist and author, wrote the memoir, “A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl.” Her husband Danny Pearl was a journalist that was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002. The memoir turned into a movie that was released in 2007. Overall, it told Pearl's experience after the death of her husband. Angelina Jolie was cast to play the role of Mariane Pearl. However, controversy quickly arose as people argued that Mariane Pearl is a women of color and Jolie isn't, so she shouldn't play the role. Jolie wore make up to make her skin appear darker. In addition, she wore a wig to resemble Mrs. Pearl's curly hair. According to the Seattle Times, the movie director, Michael Winterbottom, it was hard to find someone that had all of Mrs. Pearl's heritage background. Mrs. Pearl is French with Half cuban, Half dutch, and a quarter Chinese descendent. Winterbottom claims that it was hard to find an actress that fits these requirements. Honestly, there probably are people who fit these requirements, but the director himself said that there wasn't anyone else that can play the role like Jolie.

Angelina Jolie at the Nasen Awards in 2011.
Photo credit: AcnurLasAméricas via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acnurlasamericas/6310230121/">AcnurLasAméricas</a> via <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a>