Rooney Mara On Role As Tiger Lily: I Was On Wrong Side Of 'Whitewashing' Conversation

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Oscar-nominated actress Rooney Mara says she has some reservations about her role as Tiger Lily in the 2015 film "Pan."

In an interview with The Telegraph, Mara said she believes she was on the wrong side of the "whitewashing" conversation regarding her role in the film.

"I really hate, hate, hate that I am on that side of the whitewashing conversation. I really do. I don't ever want to be on that side of it again. I can understand why people were upset and frustrated," Mara told The Telegraph.

The actress was criticized last year for taking the role of Tiger Lily. The character is Native American in the original 1911 novel Peter and Wendy, and in Disney's 1953 animated film.

Mara added that she maintains director Joe Wright's intentions were genuine and that she enjoyed being a part of the film.

Her comments come amid wide outrage over a lack of diversity in Hollywood. Nominees for the Oscars were announced in early January, reigniting the Twitter hashtag from last year, #OscarsSoWhite. All 20 acting nominees are white.