‘Nina’ Director Reveals Why Zoe Saldana Was Cast, Despite Physical Differences – blogged by: @proudlylauren

After the release of the trailer for the unauthorized Nina Simone biopic, “Nina”, fans were pretty perplexed to find out that Zoe Saldana, a “light-skinned” afro-latina actress had been cast to play the legendary singer. True Nina Simone fans weren’t just upset about the skin complexion disparity, but that Saldana had to be outfitted with a wide prosthetic nose and dark makeup to play the part.  Now, Cynthia Mort, the film’s director, has chosen to explain some of the factors that went into casting Saldana over other options. 

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Mort emphasizes Saldana’s acting talent as the major deciding factor. “Certainly I would not have cast Zoe if I felt she was wrong for the role in a million years,” Mort told Buzzfeed. “Zoe’s amazing. She’s amazing in the movie. She gave her all. She’s honest, she’s courageous, she’s fierce.”

Mort also says Saldana was hired because other options for the role weren’t “acceptable to financiers” even though Barnaby Thompson, the film’s producer told Buzzfeed in a separate interview that casting a bankable star to raise funding was not a factor in hiring Saldana. Mort, on the other hand, disagreed with Barnaby, saying, “However, long before I met Zoe there were other people considered who were not acceptable to financiers. And for Barnaby to say anything other than that is incorrect.”

Prior to Saldana, Mary J. Blige had shown interest in playing Simone, and to some, was a viable option. Mort says however, that the partnership with Blige wasn’t feasible due to her busy schedule, explaining : “Mary is an incredible woman. She really is. She’s very moving, very talented. I spend a lot of time with her. But she was very, very busy.”

Now, for those who have been cringing at the sight of Saldana in “blackface” makeup and a prosthetic nose, Mort says it has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with her committing to her narrative role. 

“It’s a narrative film. You help your actor inhabit a character any way that you can,” she said. “Just as Nicole Kidman put on Virginia Woolf’s nose or Leo did his J. Edgar Hoover makeup. I understand the issue of race. And color is a sensitive issue. But at the same time, it is a movie. And it is an actor. And everyone is doing their best to find the truth in that.”

Are Mort’s reasons of pure talent, funding, and lack of options enough to silence the critics? Do you support Saldana’s role as Nina Simone?

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