Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart

When Angelina Jolie was cast as a woman of Dutch, Jewish, African, Chinese and Cuban descent in A Mighty Heart, it was the subject of much debate. In the film Jolie’s skin was darkened, and she was given curly black hair to closely resemble the real Mariane Pearl. However, this had some people comparing her transformation to the racist “blackface” that was popular in a bygone era. Although it caused backlash, Jolie was given the green light by the real Mariane Pearl to play her in the biopic. Jolie even earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.