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Zoe Saldaña is being slammed for performing in “blackface” in the 2016 Nina Simone biopic. The controversy surrounding her portrayal of the iconic jazz musician has intensified in light of Saldaña’s first Oscar nomination.
The 46-year-old is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as criminal defense lawyer Rita Mora Castro in the musical Emilia Pérez.
Highlights
- People are accusing Zoe Saldaña of "doing blackface" in her portrayal of Nina Simone.
- The actress darkened her skin with makeup and wore a prosthetic nose for the role.
- Saldaña initially defended her casting, saying she was a good fit for the role, but later apologized.
The French film is leading the Oscar nominations with 13 nods, followed by Wicked and The Brutalist with 10 each.
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Zoe Saldaña has come under fire again for doing “blackface” to portray Nina Simone in the 2016 biopic
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
In 2016, Saldaña faced backlash after she reportedly wore dark makeup and a prosthetic nose for the biopic Nina.
“I can’t believe she ever worked again after doing this and how hard she defended it at the time,” one user wrote.
“It’s so crazy to do all this, rather than just hiring a dark skin actress??? It was 2016, it’s not like there was a shortage of relevant dark skin actresses,” another person said.
A separate user added: “It’s insane that she did this and I’ll never forget it!!! Sorry.”
Image credits: Netflix
“Today I learned that Zoe Saldaña played Nina Simone in a movie where she did it in blackface, this was only in 2016!” commented someone else.
Saldaña’sportrayal was even criticized by Simone’s family. In 2012, when she was announced as the leading actress, the singer’s daughter Lisa Simone Kelly said, “Appearance-wise, this is not the best choice.”
Instead, Lisasaid she preferred actresses with “beautiful, luscious lips and wide noses” to portray her mother.
She said she enjoyed Saldaña’s films but feltstars such as Kimberly Elise or Viola Davis would have been better options, as they are “women of color who know their craft.”
The controversy reignited after Saldaña earned her first Oscar nomination for Emilia Pérez
Image credits: Netflix
“I also have no problem introducing someone we’ve never heard of before who can play my mother,” the Broadway actress added.
When the trailer was released in 2016, the official social media account run by Simone’s estatetold the actress: “Cool story but please take Nina’s name out your mouth. For the rest of your life.”
Saldaña, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, defended her work at the time, stating, “If Elizabeth Taylor can be Cleopatra, I can be Nina.
“It doesn’t matter how much backlash I will get for it. I will honor and respect my black community because that’s who I am.”
The 46-year-old reportedly wore dark makeup and a prosthetic nose to play the jazz musician
Image credits: IMP Awards
Image credits: Prime Video
“I don’t care who tells me that I am not this and I am not that. I know who I am and I know what Nina Simone means to me,” she highlighted in an interview withHipHollywood.
“So that is my truth and that set me free.”
Written and directed by Cynthia Mort, the film focuses on Simone’ssocial activism and celebrated music career.
The biopic’s distributor, Robert L. Johnson,complained about the casting controversy in 2016, saying, “It’s unfortunate that African Americans are talking about this in a way that hearkens back to how we were treated when we were slaves.
“The slave masters separated light-skinned blacks from dark-skinned blacks, and some of that social DNA still exists today among many black people.”
Her portrayal was met with criticism, most notably from Simone’s family
Image credits: Prime Video
Johnson likened the debate surrounding Saldaña’s skin color to the infamous early 20th-century “brown paper bag” test, in which African Americans were turned away from black social institutions if their skin was darker than the bag’s color.
“That’s where some of this comes from, when you hear people saying that a light-skinned woman can’t play a dark-skinned woman when they’re both clearly of African descent.
“To say that if I’m gonna cast a movie, I’ve gotta hold a brown paper bag up to the actresses and say, ‘Oh sorry, you can’t play her.’ Who’s to decide when you’re black enough?”
Social media users recently criticized Saldaña for darkening her skin tone to portray Simone
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The Avatar actress received support from other African American stars, including Queen Latifah and Paula Patton.
Despite her initial defense of her role, Saldañaapologized for playing Simone four years after the film’s release. “I thought back then that I had the permission because I was a black woman. And I am,” she began.
“But it was Nina Simone. And Nina had a life, and she had a journey that should have been, and should be, honored to the most specific detail because she was a specifically detailed individual.”
Though she initially defended the role, the actress later apologized, saying, “I should have done everything in my power to cast a black woman”
Image credits: mararoszak
Image credits: mararoszak
“I should have done everything in my power with the leverage that I had 10 years ago, which was a different leverage, but it was leverage nonetheless.
“I should have done everything in my power to cast a black woman to play an exceptionally perfect black woman.”
Her latest film, Emilia Pérez, has also faced criticism for not casting native Spanish speakers in all the leading roles, despite being set in Mexico. Additionally, some viewers took issue with the movie’s representation of thetransgender community.
The film received fourGolden Globe awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña.
The actress’ portrayal of Nina Simone continued to spark divided reactions
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What do you think ?
Roland C. 10 months ago
We're calling dark make up on a Black actress "blackface" now? And other actors have worn prosthetics to portray real people with prominent facial features. It's part of the acting profession and always has been. Stop acting like children.
May 10 months ago (edited)
I am going to get downvoted (and I accept it ^^) but hear me out. Accusations are completely over top, I agree. That being said, at the time, what baffled some of the public (black essentially) was that it would have been nice to have a black actress that does actually have the features that have had Black people portrayed as 'ugly' if not 'animal' for centuries. The only area where the Hollywood looks didn't matter as much for Blacks was music, were talent and emotion could somehow surpass anything superficial to white audiences. She's a good actress but someone with greater character would have been to some better suiting. Even with her prosthetic she's 'Hollywood pretty'. Maybe I'm biased because from North Africa, will hell of a nose ;) I want to see some woman with a nose and charisma for Cleopatra, not Gal Gadot :) !
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Ellinor 10 months ago (edited)
Okay so this is not a blackface. The purpose of blackface is to mock black people, the only thing I see here is respect. (and in the comments I see a majority of profile pictures of white people, and I don't really think they are the best to be "offended" by this.)
Upstaged75 10 months ago
Me either! Don't we have enough to worry about already?
Load More Replies...
Roland C. 10 months ago
We're calling dark make up on a Black actress "blackface" now? And other actors have worn prosthetics to portray real people with prominent facial features. It's part of the acting profession and always has been. Stop acting like children.
May 10 months ago (edited)
I am going to get downvoted (and I accept it ^^) but hear me out. Accusations are completely over top, I agree. That being said, at the time, what baffled some of the public (black essentially) was that it would have been nice to have a black actress that does actually have the features that have had Black people portrayed as 'ugly' if not 'animal' for centuries. The only area where the Hollywood looks didn't matter as much for Blacks was music, were talent and emotion could somehow surpass anything superficial to white audiences. She's a good actress but someone with greater character would have been to some better suiting. Even with her prosthetic she's 'Hollywood pretty'. Maybe I'm biased because from North Africa, will hell of a nose ;) I want to see some woman with a nose and charisma for Cleopatra, not Gal Gadot :) !
Load More Replies... Ellinor 10 months ago (edited)
Okay so this is not a blackface. The purpose of blackface is to mock black people, the only thing I see here is respect. (and in the comments I see a majority of profile pictures of white people, and I don't really think they are the best to be "offended" by this.)
Upstaged75 10 months ago
Me either! Don't we have enough to worry about already?
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