Race

op-ed: zoe saldana wears blackface, a kinky wig, and a prosthetic nose in highly problematic “nina” trailer

March 3, 2016

Alright, let’s talk about Zoe and Nina. 

Yesterday, the internet was up in arms over the release of the first trailer for the Nina Simone biopic, “Nina”, which has been looming in the distance for years. The biopic where the very lovely and talented Zoe Saldana wears blackface, a kinky wig, and a prosthetic nose to play Simone. And, as suspected, it looks as horrible as it sounds. Rule: If you’re making a movie about a POC and you cast an actor who needs to be in blackface with a prosthetic “negro nose”, then maybe they’re not the right choice. Just maybe.


The problem isn’t that Saldana, being afro-latinx, isn’t “black enough”—trying to separate her from her blackness is cruel—this is an issue of colorism and the fact that, once again, Hollywood wanted to tell black stories without dark skinned black actresses, specifically, as Saldana’s co-stars are David Oyelowo (one of the film’s producers) and Mike Epps. Roles for dark skinned male actors? Sometimes, yes! Roles for dark skinned female actors? Nope. 



Talent aside, casting Saldana is about crossover appeal. Having starred in several films as the romantic lead opposite white actors like Ashton Kutcher, Zachary Quinto, Bradley Cooper, Patrick J. Adams, Michael Vartan, etc., Saldana’s is a casting niche of being both a WoC and also fitting into white beauty standards (petite features, slender frame, straight hair, etc.) This, apparently, makes her believably desirable to white leads (and white movie-goers). It’s definitely worth mentioning that the film’s decision-making team was comprised of seven white people, a non-black WoC, and Oyelowo.



And while I might be able to rationalize why movie execs want and need to attract white movie goers to see black stories, what’s the point when it’s at the cost of black movie goers, black actresses, and Nina Simone herself? Nina’s daughter, Simone Kelly, has spoken out against the casting choice on several occasions stating, “My mother was raised at a time when she was told her nose was too wide, her skin was too dark. Appearance-wise this is not the best choice,” in a 2012 interview with the New York Times. And yesterday via a verified Twitter account belonging to the family and estate of Simone seriously clapped back at Saldana directly for her choice to do the film in the first place (see below) before expressing these sentiments: “Hopefully people begin to understand this is painful. Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, nauseating, soul-crushing. It shall pass, but for now…”

What do you think? Is painting a black actress blacker okay to do or would have any number of other actresses been a better fit?

By Erin White*, AFROPUNK contributor

Click photo to view the trailer.

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.

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