The first look at the upcoming Nina Simone biopic is out, and it’s reigniting objections to a light-skinned actress playing the dark-skinned activist and jazz singer.
Criticism has dogged “Nina” since news broke in 2012 that actress Zoe Saldana, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, would play the brilliant yet troubled singer known as the High Priestess of Soul.
The casting sparked a barrage of infuriated columns and blog posts, calls for a boycott and an online petition for a casting change. Even Simone’s daughter, actress and singer Lisa Simone Kelly, has disavowed the film, telling The New York Times in 2012 that she respected Saldana but was disappointed by the casting decision.
Much of the backlash has to do with Simone’s place in history.
Simone, who died in 2003 at 70, combined blues, folk and jazz and blues to deliver her singular sultry style. She was also known for her bombastic, defiant persona as a fixture of the 1960s civil rights movement.
In addition to hit renditions of “My Baby Just Cares for Me” and “I Loves You, Porgy” she also composed songs that addressed racist treatment of African-Americans. She wrote “Mississippi Goddam” after the killing of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, while her “Four Women” described the experiences of four women of different skin tones.
Because much of her work centered on her marginalized treatment as a dark-skinned black woman in America, many fans said the casting choice was an affront to her legacy.
“Nina Simone didn’t write ‘Four Women’ to have her actual skin color demeaned for a movie about her life. Come on now,” feminist writer Mikki Kendall said Tuesday on Twitter.
The fury only got worse with each sneak peek of the film showing Saldana in dark makeup to resemble Simone. In the meantime, a documentary, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” was released to critical acclaim.
The release of the biopic’s trailer on Tuesday revived criticism that Saldana is not the right choice, despite early praise for the emotional range she appears to bring to the role.
Social media users suggested other actresses to play the role, from singer Lauryn Hill to “Walking Dead” star Danai Gurira to comedian Leslie Jones.
But Saldana has stood by the role, urging the public to withhold judgment until the film comes out. Without commenting directly on the latest round of withering criticism, on Tuesday night she tweeted a quote from Simone:
“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me. No fear. I mean really, no fear.”
“Nina,” co-starring David Oyelowo, is scheduled for release in theaters and on VOD April 22.