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Attacking Zoe Saldana’s portrayal of Nina Simone is not completely fair

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The trailer and poster for the upcoming biopic about Nina Simone was released recently and got a less than enthusiastic response. Zoe Saldana, a light skinned, black, American woman of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent was made to wear dark makeup (likened to blackface by some) and a prosthetic nose in order to convincingly resemble the legendary singer and activist Nina Simone.

It’s been a controversial decision from the moment Saldana was cast to play Simone in 2012 after the director's first choice, Mary J Blige, dropped out.

Nina’s daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, has previously said that Zoe being cast to play her mother was “not the best choice,” but she has now also defended the actress, as told to TIME, after the rather vicious backlash from the public upon release of the official trailer. She says it’s unfortunate that Saldana is being attacked for her role “when she is someone who is part of a larger picture,” and not responsible for “any of the writing or the lies".

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