Lisa Saldana Research Paper

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When I was told that Nina Simone was to have her own biopic, I was initially interested and excited over who they would cast for the influential songstress; however, when I heard that Zoe Saldana would play her, confusion took me over. Upon seeing pictures of Saldana wearing darker makeup and a prosthetic nose for the part, I became further confused. Many black activists and actors have voiced their outrage at this problematic casting, yet Simone's daughter has gone out of her way to defend Saldana. Saldana is a Black-Hispanic American who finds herself more connected to her Hispanic roots. Simone's daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, has stated, "It's unfortunate that Zoe Saldana is being attacked so viciously when she is someone who is part of a larger picture." Saldana …show more content…

By being casted for a role in which she needs to wear black-face despite being black communicates a larger picture just as Simone's daughter had described. Saldana's casting, unfortunately, was not a choice that was based on the accuracy of the woman she would portray or of the group of people Simone represented. Lisa Simone Kelly had expressed that she wouldn't ever be able to understand Saldana's representation of the Black community as Saldana is a Black-Hispanic and not African American. Additionally, Simone Kelly has added that, "There are many superb actresses who could more adequately represent my mother and could bring her to the screen with the proper script, the proper team and a sense of wanting to bring the truth of my mother's journey to the masses." Simone's relatives have also expressed their displeasure with the casting in harsh tweets and comments such as from Simone's brother describing the controversial casting as "...an insult to our people and their struggle..." Furthermore this

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