The announcement of the casting of Angelina Jolie in the role of
Mariane Pearl drew criticism within the African-American community.
[19] Orville Lloyd Douglas, a pop critic, has criticized the casting
[20] because, he said, "Jolie is white" and Mariane Pearl is "mixed race". In fact, Pearl is the multiracial daughter of an Afro-Chinese-Cuban mother and a Dutch Jewish father.
[16][21][22] Pearl personally chose Jolie to play the lead in
A Mighty Heart.
[23] In response to casting complaints, Pearl said "I have heard some criticism about her casting, but it is not about the color of your skin. It is about who you are. I asked her to play the role—even though she is way more beautiful than I am—because I felt a real kinship to her. She put her whole heart into it, and I think she understood why we should do this movie. We had something to say that we knew we should say together."
[23]