Do you think Zoe Saldana had any idea about the trouble she was starting when she took on the role of Nina Simone? The internet has been pretty upset about the casting choice ever since it was announced more than a year ago.
A new wave of outrage swept over the internet today after a photo of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone was released. The photo shows the actress standing on a stage with a microphone. No big deal, right? Well, unless you take a closer look at Zoe’s skin tone. It appears that they used makeup to give Zoe a darker complexion.
Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone pic.twitter.com/I5NVPnoYXa
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) May 15, 2014
Many people have criticized the casting choice saying that Zoe Saldana doesn’t look anything like Nina Simone. They also said that the producers should have hired a woman with a darker skin tone to play the iconic musician.
https://twitter.com/blowticious/statuses/466965027845459968
@reeltalker …in black face.
— BlackOnBlackCinema (@BlackonCinema) May 15, 2014
Zoe Saldana responded to the criticism last year, saying that it didn’t bother her because this movie was a personal project.
Zoe said: “I guess what kept me from being hurt by the negative comments was that I’m doing it for my sisters and my brothers, and I don’t care who tells me I’m not this or I’m not that. I know who I am, and I know what Nina Simone means to me.”
Right now, the critics are upset because a light-skinned actress was cast to step into the shoes of Nina Simone. That may have been the wrong decision but let’s not discard Zoe’s performance just yet. The new movie will premiere today at Cannes. Needless to say, it will be pretty interesting to see how people react to the film.
Judging by how Twitter reacted to the new photo of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone…. It’s not going to be good.
[Image Via Twitter]
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