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The wife of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist who was kidnapped and executed in Pakistan, yesterday spoke of her "immense gratitude" to Angelina Jolie for her performance in a film about her husband's death.
Mariane Pearl, who attended the premiere of Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart at the Cannes Film Festival, said she had asked Jolie to play her part in the film after becoming friends with the actress. Although Jolie's partner, Brad Pitt, co-produced the film adaptation of her memoir, A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl, his involvement had no bearing on Jolie being picked. "I asked her to play the role and I'm really very fortunate that it was her who did it. One of the things I felt [after watching it] is an immense gratitude, because I think of my son going to see this film some day."
Referring to the scene in which the news of Pearl's death is broken to her, she added: "It is a great moment of pain for me and this role was played by someone who loves me and that means a lot to me".
Pearl, 38, was working as the South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and researching a story on the shoe bomber Richard Reid when he was abducted in January 2002.
Mariane Pearl, who is also a journalist, was nearly six months pregnant when he was beheaded. Her unwillingness to display emotion in public made her a much scrutinised figure at the time.
For her part, Jolie said she had "admired Mariane from afar" and was concerned to deliver an accurate portrayal of her. "I was very nervous to do it right. I did finally speak to Mariane after she saw the film and she told me it was alright, in so many words ... for her to tell me it was done right, I can't tell you how much it means to me."
Jolie was six weeks pregnant when she took on the role, a factor that "made me much more connected to her".
Winterbottom, who directed The Road To Guantanamo about three British Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, said the film had prompted him to reassess his views on Pakistan. "When you spend time in Pakistan, you realise it's a very complicated place." Pearl is played by Dan Futterman, who wrote the screenplay for Capote.
- INDEPENDENT
