Zoe Saldana‘s casting as Nina Simone in “Nina” is once again causing outrage, after the official poster for the film was released Tuesday.
Fans took to Twitter to point out that Saldana looks nothing like Simone, the legendary African-American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist whose struggles to balance music, family and what she believed in left her living alone in France, feeling exiled from her own country.
“Zoe Saldana looks nothing like Nina Simone #FAIL not even close,” tweeted one user. “Why not just Will Smith to do it?”
“That Zoe Saldana pic as Nina Simone looks like the blackface of a bad Halloween or frat party,” another user wrote.
Some even compared the bad casting to that of Joseph Fiennes being hired to play Michael Jackson in a British television special, which also caused outrage back in January. Other Twitter users also suggested actresses who would’ve been a better fit for the role, which include Lupita Nyong’o and Viola Davis.
In 2012, rumors circulated that Saldana would play Simone, and the response was overwhelmingly negative, with fans saying that Saldana was too light-skinned to portray the singer. In 2014, an image was released in which Saldana’s nose had been altered with a prosthetic. Many took to Twitter to suggest that Saldana’s casting was a form of blackface.
“Nina” hits theaters on April 22, also stars David Oyelowo and is written and directed by Cynthia Mort.
See some tweets below.
https://twitter.com/heartbeatzofafr/status/704790684440526848
Zoe Saldana looks nothing like Nina Simone #FAIL
not even close. Why not just get Will Smith to do it.— paully (@paully_steaks) March 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/KorinaKorinax/status/704786264881504256
https://twitter.com/okbrann/status/704785894524321792
https://twitter.com/AntheaButler/status/704782858209116161
https://twitter.com/JenetAllDay/status/704782812826591232
I like zoe saldana. but an afro-latina that denys her blackness has no business playing an unapologetic, pro-black singer/activist.
— Elvira (@naeePALM) March 1, 2016
QUESTION: Why did they DARKEN Zoe Saldana rather than cast a darker actress since it was such a crucial part of Nina Simone's story?
— Dart_Adams (@Dart_Adams) March 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/LookAtKaysToes/status/704787055654600705
https://twitter.com/tayreeeenie/status/704786917066280960
Zoe Saldana playing Nina is the CLOSEST to whitewashing without a white person. Equivalent to getting a white man to play Michael Jackson…
— MoniClips.NL (@monidonni) March 1, 2016
@XLNB @MatthewACherry just 2 options that work better than Zoe Saldana pic.twitter.com/jgXCaytaKD
— Tyrant 🔪 (@Spicypisces__) March 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/Tinytay19/status/704786267737722880
https://twitter.com/Tuti_Felice/status/704786048648351745