(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Freida Pinto feels frustrated by the negativity surrounding her being cast as an Arab woman in her new movie, insisting she is trying to break down cultural barriers.
Director Julian Schnabel has come under fire for choosing the Indian actress to play the lead role in Miral, about a Palestinian girl who grows up in an orphanage in East Jerusalem during the 80s. Many critics claimed an Arab woman should have won the part, but Freida is proud she was given the chance to star in the movie.
"This whole fuss about my playing Miral is ridiculous and been blown so out of proportion," she said in an interview with British newspaper The Independent. "We all knew it was going to be difficult but to not do something because you live in fear, that's wrong. So critics can say what they want but I strongly believe that I am actually breaking down cultural barriers. I find it very interesting these days that films are bringing in so many people of different ethnicities and I'm proud to be a part of that cultural shift.
I feel the timing is right as well. The world is getting much smaller and that's the best way to embrace it.
The 26-year-old beauty shot to fame in Slumdog Millionaire and although she was inundated with work offers after the success of the film, Freida has been careful in choosing subsequent projects. The star insists feeling a connection to the storyline is far more important to her than money and she is testing her ability by taking on several different roles.
She will play an Arabian princess in a movie called Black Gold and has also filmed scenes alongside Mickey Rourke and Kellan Lutz for Immortals, in which she portrays a Greek goddess.
Freida enjoyed shooting the film and joked it was a welcome change to see the leading men flashing their flesh in skimpy loincloths, rather than the women.
"It was interesting to be in a film where the men were objectified and the women could just enjoy themselves," Freida laughed. "I was excited about doing a project where I was covered up while the men were all wearing short skirts. It was a bit of an eye-candy situation but I'm talking more about the men than the women! (C) Cover Media