We are all, at the very least, moderately familiar with the story of Peter Pan. Three siblings, one boy who doesn't want to grow up, a fairy with a rotten attitude and an adventure to Neverland. Along the way, we meet many characters, such as the lost boys, Tiger Lily and Captain Hook, for example, who inhabit Neverland and learn a bit about them. Whether you've read the original text or just really love the Disney take on the story, Peter Pan has likely been a part of our lives in some shape or form.
It comes as no surprise that Warner Brothers is adapting the film into a live action picture, giving the back story to Peter and the land of Neverland, essentially a prequel to the much loved story. We're also going to get backstory on many of the much beloved characters of Neverland. While I'm not the biggest Peter Pan fan in the world, and despite the many problems, I've always liked that it featured a strong Indigenous female character, Tiger Lily, in the story.
Tiger has always been one of my favorite movie characters, so I was excited to see their take on her life. Right? A strong, Native character in a movie in 2015? And I bet that Warner Brothers was really going to do what they could to fix the problems in the role, effectively bettering her character!
But...oh.
Wait a second.
What is this Hobby Lobby looking mess and what have you done with Tiger Lily?!Yes, that's right, Warner Brothers cast Rooney Mara -- a white actress -- in a role that has traditionally been played by a Native girl.
Are you shocked? I'm not. Are you disgusted? You should be.
I've heard a lot of arguments excusing the white washing of Tiger's character, ranging from "this is a fantasy movie" to the ever popular "we are ALL natives of the world," both of which are as humorous as they are ignorant. I've essentially run out of sh*ts to give towards people who think this sort of thing is okay, mostly because this should be common sense.
How often do you see a Native American person in modern media? Let me answer that for you: not very often. In fact, there are very few roles that are written for us as a whole. Yes, they are largely of the Pocahontas and Tiger Lily persuasion: very problematic in nature. However, there are ways to fix that. After all, this is the era of representation and political correctness. Surely, one of the most underrepresented groups in the media would have people pulling for their integrity to be upheld.
That's just not the case. Indigenous issues tend to go to the bottom of the social justice wrung, because most people simply don't care. It's sad, but it's true. I'm willing to bet that there's a lot of people who will see this movie anyways without realizing that a low turnout for Pan would be a good way to send the message that white washing characters isn't okay.
I've heard people say that a German-Irish actress playing Tiger is the lesser of two evils; better her be played and white washed than stay highly problematic. It's the director's way of trying to right the wrongs of her initial characterization. That's how it always seems to be though, isn't it? The underrepresented, racial minorities should be happy with the scraps they get or be grateful that it's not as bad as it could be. Isn't that messed up? People hit the internet in waves to complain about accuracy when Quvenzhané Wallis was cast as Annie, but we should be grateful for a white Tiger Lily?
Absolutely not. This is not good enough and it never will be acceptable.
Tiger Lily's character, and really, the whole Native tribe is problematic in nature. Not surprising, considering it's a British tale. But white washing is not the way to effect positive change in representation. The casting directors were even telling Native women who auditioned that they weren't looking for a Native girl to play a her. It could just be a personal thing, but why aren't more people angry? Why aren't you all outraged? I can't answer that, because I don't know the answer.
All I know is that this casting decision was not okay. And before you ask, "is them casting a white girl as Tiger Lily enough to make you discredit the whole movie?" let me answer with yes. I absolutely will not see the movie because of that. Why should I reward the hours of work the crew put into this if they don't have the decency to respect the canon race of a character? I find it hard to believe that finding a Native girl to play the role was that hard, but if it is, maybe the casting directors should find new jobs.
In any case, I will not be seeing this movie and I invite you all to do the same. We all know racism is one of the many issues in Hollywood, but it's one we have a say in stopping. We may not be casting directors or screenwriters, but we are the audience. We have a say in which movies do well. And if we refuse to reward a racist decision, the message will be made, in at least one small way.