Zoe Saldana Criticized for Nina Simone Role

Zoe Saldana

LONDON (AP) — Zoe Saldana has played an alien and a future space traveler — but taking on the role of an actual famous person proved even harder. The 34-year-old star of "Avatar" and "Star Trek" plays pianist, singer and activist Nina Simone in the forthcoming biopic "Nina."

Her casting drew criticism from some, who argued that Saldana bears little resemblance to the singer, who died in 2003 aged 70. Musician India.Arie said "they should have chosen someone who looks like Nina Simone," and an online petition for a boycott of the film attracted more than 10,000 signatures.


Saldana said she feels strongly that she's right to play Simone, an immense, irascible talent who made an indelible mark on both music and the civil rights movement with songs including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" and "Mississippi Goddam."

"The Nina Simone story needed to be told, and I'm really blessed that I did it," said Saldana, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.

"I'm human. I wish I was made of steel and so certain things wouldn't affect me," Saldana said at a recent London event to promote "Star Trek Into Darkness," in which she plays multilingual communications officer Lt. Uhura.

"So it did affect me but I couldn't let that deter me from doing what I needed to do.Just like everybody else I feel very strongly about Nina Simone, and that (this) was a story that needed to be told. I do believe that if everybody had more information about how this all came to be, it might help," she added. "But then again, I'm not here to get the acceptance of people. I'm here to be an artist first."

What do you think? Should the they have chosen someone who looked more like Nina Simone?

Nina Simone