"To portray Pearl, Jolie covered her blue/gray eyes with brown colored contacts and wore a tight, curly wig that resembles Pearl's hair style and texture." quotes the article on Atlanta's 102.5 website. They go on to talk about how the make up artist used spray on tan, and how a concern has risen regarding the "new generation of Hollywood in blackface".
Teresa Wiltz, a Washington Post staff writer has written a piece called "A Part Colored By History-Choice of White Actress For Mixed-Race Role Stirs Debate on Insensitivity" which is a stupid article, in my opinion. In that article, she quotes blogger Lauren Williams as stating "It irks me to see her in the makeup and the hair," Williams said. "Every fall, you hear about how on some college campus, white kids are having a pimps-and-hos party and painting their faces. People are ignoring that this is a very painful part of America's past."
Jolie was quoted as making the following statement: "The idea is, if you ask Mariane, because she did address that, and if you did actually want to find somebody that was her exact makeup, she's actually majority Dutch, and she's as black as she is Chinese, and she's Cuban, and she's French. So, it could have gone to many different racial backgrounds, probably, if you went technical on it. And that, you know, is a reality. At the same time, to her, the importance was the essence of her spiritually, and I think that was what mattered and I think that is a question to ask her. But no, if you break down the DNA, it's very complex."
Glamour magazine actually did a full write up on how the movie got it's start, and how Marianne feels about the role that Jolie plays. Marianne was the one who first approached Jolie, seeking a play date for their children. After meeting with the now single mom Marianne, Brad Pitt had a chance to read her book about her fallen journalist husband, Daniel Pearl, titled "A Mighty Heart", he wanted to make her story into a movie. Hense, this is how the movie was created.
Angelina Jolie as Marianne
As I stated, Washington Post's Teresa Wiltz's article was written rather well but it was a stupid article and I do not agree with the logic. Well, let me just say that I do not think that Jolie's role was "blackface". First of all, Marianne is a friend of Jolie and Pitt. He asked her if he could do this project, and she agreed. Plus, nobody says anything when Eddie Murphy portrays different race characters via way of terrific make up artist's magic. No, when he does it, it's genious! Reverse that and let a white actor be made up to portray a black character, and it's war!
People...you can't have your cake and eat it, too. As a black american, I cannot take offense to each and everything that is done in society today by non-blacks if blacks, too, do that very same thing.
An example of this is the N-Word. Yes, I'd be appauled if someone non-black said it. But at the same time, it's really unacceptable for a black to say it. It's so negative. It's repulsive. That one little word says so much. It speaks of a time when blacks were enslaved, beaten, demeaned, and killed because of skin color. It speaks of unmentionable abuse. The N-Word should bring a tear to the eyes of the ones that were branded by it! So then why does it fly so freely from the lips of browns and blacks alike? And why is it okay for some to say it and wrong for others? If we want to talk about blackface, let's not leave out the fact that blacks play white characters, too, so is that 'whiteface'?
Our society is filled with hyprocity. And that's really the point of my blog. I'm not bashing those who are out here fighting for equality and rights. I am so grateful to each and every thing that has been done for the fight for freedom, and I continue to hope that one day everyone will be on the same page in unity. Having said that, I also must state that though i'm grateful for those who are out there fighting for 'justice for all', I'd be greatly disappointed if they were at the same time using the N-Word, the B-Word towards women or the H-word (slang for the W-Word), and other's like it. Black men tend to forget what the N-word means while out on a basketball in the heat of a game, but are quick to remember it whenever it's said by the wrong 'face'. That's bull!
My question's to you are these:
1-Do you think it is offensive for Angelina Jolie to portray Marianne Pearl?
2-Is "blackface" wrong or is it simply acting?
3-Is there a difference between "blackface" and "whiteface" and if so, what is it?
There’s the Q, now give me the A! What are your answers?
Copyright ©2007 Attica Lundy
