The first pictures of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone has hit the web and they’re definitely questionable. Well, one might say that the actress doesn’t favor the popular singer at all in the photos.
Saldana will play the leading role of the jazz singer and Nina is based on Simone’s 1992 autobiography “I Put A Spell On You”, which told the story of Simone’s relationship with her assistant, Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo), that occurred in her later years.
Nina originally planned a career as a classical pianist, but was denied a scholarship to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute Of Music because she was black. Dubbed the high priestess of soul, she rose to fame as a jazz singer and became a prominent member of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Her song “To Be Young, Gifted And Black” was an anthem of the movement. The Sinnerman star stopped paying taxes in the US as a protest against the Vietnam War, which made her an exile from the States in her later life. To avoid arrest, she settled in Barbados where she had a long relationship with its Prime Minister Errol Barrow. The singer also lived in Liberia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and died in the South of France in 2003 (Wiki).
Singer Jill Scott recently commented on Saldana playing Nina and said:
Well Zoe is an incredible actress–I think that she’s a fine actress. I think that there should be some work done, like a prosthetic nose would be helpful and definitely some darker makeup. If Forest Whittaker can become darker in “The Last King Of Scotland” than I believe Nina should be treated with that respect. She was very adamant about her color about her nose about her shape and her self and there needs to be some homage paid to that.
Give your opinion of the first pictures of Zoe as Nina and express if Hollywood did a good job casting this role. More photos on next page.
Folks want to see the front of this pic to do a comparison. In this shot she looks like a busted Jada Pinkette Smith.
I agree with you, it’s clear that they are using her to bank off from The Avatar flick. A more appropriate chocie would have been someone like India Arie who is clearly all about representing herself and her dedication to her music with as much integrity as Nina gladly held herself as a proud black woman. I think Nina is cursing a whole lot up in heaven. Still not getting her due respect even after her death. It’s so sad, Zoe should of been more responsible to know she’s still too young to even carry that level of depth that Nina lived as a artist fighting the system like records labels. She’s still too young and inexperienced to carry a woman’s life cinematically like Nina- Zoe way over her head on this one.
This is a Hollywood whitewash straight & plain.. like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra , and to who’s benefit in 2012 ? she needs to be darker with a bigger nose to retain any semblance of integrity to Ms Symone’s look, if Forest Whitaker could be made darker for Last King of Scotland, why not Zoe ? who are they trying not to offend or more importantly who don’t they care about offending in 2012 from a woman who sang proudly that her skin is black, no one is upset about Zoe being chosen because she definitely has the acting chops to pull this off, but the look is as equally an important sell and could sink this picture if they are not careful .
You are so right i will not be supporting this movie because she looks nothing like Nina i mean lets be real this is not a biggie, tupac, or even a NWA movie this is an Icon
SMDH! I will not be going to watch this!
helllllllll naw! Will Not Saw-it!
I will be watching it. No she may not be ideal looks wise but at least she is a black actress thats getting a quality film which dont happen too often. Not supporting this means less black films. Besides I can think of so many Black movies that have been cast with someone too light or darks, and yet we supported them so why stop now?
There is a point to be made about supporting films, I get it. I also get that when ” Think like a man” came out an all black cast it went to number #1 now saying that and realllllllllllllllllly think about the films content, and think about target audience/film budget/ QUALITY of writing. What were the messages to young black women and men in how they engage each other. Are relationships are that there is only to write about in it’s scripts and imagery – all these sexualization of both genders and Yet let Lucas FUND – out of pocket$50 million of his own money, takes a both decade for RED TAILS to get made, highlights men during the disgusting racist times in the military of these honorable men serving and yet , the movie with a black directed/black cast can’t manage to have the black community ensure it gets it to #1 because why?———- There are no justifiable excuses as to why this great movie, they way it represented the obstacles and greatness these black men accomplished show of not SHUT – White hollywood with BOX office numbers, it’s a shame, YETTTTT
A Steve Harvey movie shoots to number 1 talking about how to be manipulative with each other and get what you want yadadadadadad, YES congrats to Harvey’s success but dammmmm, Can someone write something substantial about young black men and women that does not bring them down to booty calls, club scenes,cheating. We have a great artist like Nina Simone being portrayed by a black latin actress, I don’t take nothing from her own individual talent but Dam when are these powerful black entertainers going to REALLY get together and bring some content to the black community that is relevant and inspire and uplift black artists. Stop hiding behind the big wigs like warner/Paramount/United/Weinstein, don’t wait around for the certain white power players that are at times willing to put their money where their mouth is. The Sidney Poitier’s, The Denzel’s and Spike’s will be gone and one day and dammit if I want to keep looking at Talented black actors dress as women or play gloried drug dealers. There needs to be more Cecily Tysons coming up, black actresses that have left an impact like Ruby and greats like Nina. Have we become so mind-f*cked by the garbage of BET in our psyche that we really believe it’s still impossible for us to supersede our own stereotypes. Maybe if we celebrated black scholars like we do idiots as we do video vixens maybe we wouldn’t just rely o entertainers to inspire its, there was a time when wanting to uplift ones m=community through activism and art actually meant something- Poor Miss Maya Angelou she must be disgusted at the current state of todays youth.
For all your self belief and conviction Zoe, be prepared to defend a very bad choice post production taking this role, your in over head. What a waste of a great opportunity for an up and commer black actress out these right now.