Here are some photos of Rooney Mara at the Pan premiere a few nights ago. She wore Giambattista Valli to the New York premiere and I absolutely hate it! While I’m not a big Valli fan, I usually think his designs at least look expensive and interesting. This looks like a really cheap lace dress with a cheap, ugly black mullet thrown around it. Fug as hell.

Rooney’s casting in Pan has not been without controversy of course. Rooney plays Tiger Lily, a character that was traditionally Native American. Rooney got a ton of sh-t for taking the part and director Joe Wright got a ton of sh-t for not only Rooney’s casting, but the “origin story” of Peter Pan coming to Neverland to “save the natives.” How can Peter Pan be the white savior if everyone else is white?! Anyway, Rooney spoke to People Magazine about the backlash she got for taking the role:

Rooney Mara is speaking out about the controversy surrounding her casting as Tiger Lily in Joe Wright’s Pan.

“It wasn’t great, I felt really bad about it,” Mara told PEOPLE at the NYC premiere of Pan on Sunday when asked how she coped with the criticism.

After it was announced in March that the Caucasian actress would be playing the Native American princess, the Internet went wild – and not in a good way. “The whitewashing accusations started to fly,” wrote Entertainment Weekly at the time.

“It was something that I thought about before I met with Joe,” Mara, 30, told PEOPLE at the film premiere. “When I met with Joe and heard what his plans for it were, it was something I really wanted to be a part of,” she added of her decision to star in Wright’s retelling of J.M. Barrie’s beloved classic Peter Pan, out Oct. 9.

“But I totally sympathize with why people were upset and feel really bad about it,” she added.

Mara also told PEOPLE that she relates to her character because, “I think we’re both very independent women who can hold their own. We don’t need a man to save us.”

[From People]

Yeah, I still don’t get why she took the part? And I’m sorry but “I feel bad about it” isn’t a good enough explanation. This wasn’t Rooney’s call, obviously, so save the biggest side-eyes for Joe Wright and the producers, but let’s also admit: Rooney could have said no. She could have said, “You know what, this character is supposed to be Native American, so no, I think I’ll pass.”

Of course, Rooney has her own career problems… sort of. While many people feel like Rooney is probably going to get her second Oscar nomination for Carol, the sequels to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are dead in the water. Rooney admitted as much to E! News. When asked about the sequel, she said: “I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m sad never to do it again, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards.” Good. While I didn’t hate her Lisbeth, Noomi Rapace is my Lisbeth.

I’m including some additional pics of Rooney with Charlie McDowell, her longtime boyfriend.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.