“Zoe Saldana delivers an exceptional and mesmerizing tribute to Nina Simone,” Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of BET said in a statement to PEOPLE. “She gave her heart and soul to the role and displayed her extraordinary talent. The most important thing is that creativity or quality of performance should never be judged on the basis of colour, or ethnicity, or physical likeness. Quality entertainment should be measured by the sheer force of creativity and the commitment that an actor or actress brings to the performance. We are proud to distribute the film headlined by Zoë Saldana and David Oyelowo on April 22, 2016.”
“The most important thing is that creativity or quality of performance should never be judged on the basis of color, or ethnicity, or physical likeness.” Sure. But if that was the case, why the hell did the filmmakers decide to put a light-skinned Afro-Latina woman in dark blackface? If it was all about the performance, the art, the creativity, why did the filmmakers make it about skin color? Meanwhile, the director of Nina, Cynthia Mort, also issued a statement:
“Zoe gave an amazingly courageous and great performance. I think that’s all that should matter. I wish the movie well. There are very different visions of what the movie could have been and should have been. Other than that, I think Zoe was amazing, and David [Oyelowo] was amazing, and I’m proud of a lot of the movie. There’s a lot of good in it, and people should see it. The bottom line is this: Nina Simone deserves to be known.”
Nina Simone does deserve to be known. That’s why she already is known, beloved, respected and honored as one of the greatest musical talents in American history. That’s why the documentary about her life and career – What Happened, Miss Simone? – was nominated for an Oscar. The balls of Cynthia Mort to act as if Nina Simone was some unknown artist and it was up to this sketchy, ridiculous and offensive bio-pic to educate the public on Nina Simone. Sigh… and finally, Nina Simone’s only daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, gave an interview to Time Magazine. Lisa says that she does not run the Simone estate’s Twitter account and she doesn't know who tweeted the clap back to Zoe Saldana this week. Some highlights from the interview:
On the attacks on Saldana: “It’s unfortunate that Zoe Saldana is being attacked so viciously when she is someone who is part of a larger picture. It’s clear she brought her best to this project, but unfortunately she’s being attacked when she’s not responsible for any of the writing or the lies…I really didn't feel much of anything except for poor Zoe.”
The lie at the center of the movie: “The movie is about a relationship between my mother and Clifton which never took place. They never had an amorous relationship,” Simone Kelly said, adding that Henderson was a gay man. “The project has been tainted from the very beginning. Clearly, it is not the truth about my mother’s life and everyone now knows that. This is not how you want your loved ones remembered.”
But Zoe was not the right choice: While the family is “not upset with Zoe,” Simone Kelly said she didn’t think the actress was the “proper choice, appearance-wise… There are many superb actresses of color 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. And Nina, in my opinion, doesn't do any of that.”
I get that Lisa’s main beef is with the screenwriter/director Cynthia Mort for falsifying a narrative about her mom, and for the producers who let this happen. Again, I have to ask – what were they thinking? We’re past the point of asking how and why the film got made (that ship has sailed), but it’s fair to ask why the film wasn't buried, right? This is so messy.
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