On March 2, the trailer for the long-awaited biopic about the musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone was released. The movie was to bring light to a darker time in the iconic star’s life while still honoring her legacy. However, "Nina" is quickly becoming infamous before even reaching theatres.
The actress playing Nina Simone, Zoe Saldana, is in blackface to play the role.
Nina Simone was a dark skinned woman of African-American descent and Saldana is a mixed actress with light skin. It’s obvious that Simone and Saldana’s have vast physical differences that are impossible to ignore.
In order for Saldana to look more like Simone, Saldana was given a prosthetic nose and dark makeup. The result is one of the worst screw-ups in modern cinematic history.
Personally, I find this appalling. How could someone allow this to happen? Did no one at any point of filming this disaster think that this wasn’t right? Did everyone involved in the making of this movie just magically erase the term blackface from their minds?
Not only did this movie commit blackface, but also they failed where Hollywood fails time and time again. They failed to offer representation. As dark skinned women, it kills me to know that rather than just consider hiring a woman of my skin color, they’d rather paint someone my color.
I mean, was every single dark skinned actress in the entirety of the world booked?
The amount of actresses more suitable than Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone is staggering. Viola Davis of "How to Get Away with Murder" would have killed it. "Orange is the New Black'"s Uzo Aduba could have been phenomenal. Lupita Nyong'o of "Star Wars: The Force Awaken" and "12 Years A Slave" would have set the screen aflame with her talent.
However, they never had the chance. They were not given the opportunity. They, along with who knows how many other dark skinned actresses, never had the chance to represent a figure as influential as Nina Simone.
Nina Simone was not only a talented musician but also an activist who fought for the rights of her people. For blackface to happen in a biopic about her life is not only offensive to her legacy but all around heartbreaking.
