MovieChat Forums > Nina (2016) Discussion > what a stupid controversey!

what a stupid controversey!

posted 8 years ago by waats1
88 replies | jump to latest

I keep reading about how Zoe shouldn't play Nina because Zoe isn't black....they are claiming shes in "black face" and its racist... im like WTF??? LMAO! Zoe Saldana has been a Dark skin Spanish woman her entire life. She is Dominican/Puerto Rican and she only played a Spanish woman in 1 film, Columbiana... other than that she always played an African- American woman in damn near all her roles (if shes not an alien that is).... So let me get this straight, its OK for Zoe to play a "Black" Woman or come from a "Black" Family in all of her films (accept for Columbiana of course), weather its a comedy film (Guess Who?, Death at a Funeral, etc) or any other film that the majority cast is Black (Drumline) or if shes playing an iconic black character (Uhura from Star Trek) and any other film where she plays the only "Black" person with a "Black Name" among a cast of White actors, and NO ONE BATS AN EYE!!! BUT, GOD Forbid she plays a well known Singer.... people need to get over it. U don't hear us Spanish people complaining on how they cast a white or black actor to play a Spanish person and talk with an obvious stupid accent... Do you? you want examples of that? I got plenty of them..

[–] darkpast 8 years ago



[–] THEBADFOUR1987 8 years ago

You need to get the point of the controversy before saying it's stupid.

It's controversy because instead of getting an actual dark skinned black woman for the role, they casted a light skinned black woman, painted her skin to look dark and even gave her a prosthetic nose. Why? When there are so many talented dark-skinned actresses that can own that role. That's the controversy.

And what does "you don't hear us Spanish people complain" ...what does that have to do with anything? What are you getting at? Furthermore, "us Spanish people" do complain and rightfully so when the argument is right, like this incident. You can't pick and choose.

[–] waats1 8 years ago

"It's controversy because instead of getting an actual dark skinned black woman for the role, they casted a light skinned black woman, painted her skin to look dark and even gave her a prosthetic nose. Why? When there are so many talented dark-skinned actresses that can own that role. That's the controversy."

what you wrote right there,I couldn't agree more. because its true. But its the same thing vice versa when they get an actor/actress to play a character that's "Spanish/Hispanic" and they get either a white or black actor to fill the role. theres plenty of talented actors out there that are actually Hispanic, why don't they cast one? And although we complain our voice can only go but so far.

Now about "Spanish ppl not complaining", let me explain. Yes, we do complain. but as I said our words don't travel as far. when Hollywood is "Whitewashing" it seems like only the African-American community is heard by everyone, and they have every right to complain. A Perfect example is when Hollywood Producers cast Caucasian actors to play Egyptians when we all know they resemble Black African and/or Middle Eastern people. Bottom line, Hollywood is not just Black or White. its Asian, its Russian, Canadian, Jamaican, French, African, Spanish and so on. Hollywood should realize this.

Now what makes this controversy stupid is that now Zoe (A Dark skin Woman) is catching fire because she isn't "Dark Enough" she has to use a "prosthetic Nose" this is not the 1st time Hollywood used other means to make an actor seem slightly different. I have plenty of great examples and "stupid examples" of it.
But back on Zoe, I mean its not like Shes a White woman in "black face". If that happened can you imagine the riot? And for all the times that Zoe has played a black woman we choose now to "Say Something"...

I can go on about this. but hopefully you and everyone else reading will have an open mind about what im saying, instead of being closed minded and negative. i had some arguments with negative ppl, I hope your not one of them.

[–] THEBADFOUR1987 8 years ago

I hope you're not one of those negative people either and I really hope that you, as a non-black person can be open minded and at least try to understand why this is a big deal. To some people. For example, I may not be Asian, or a female. So when an Asian person or a female is making rightful complaints about racism or sexism, I listen. As I am not Asian or a female, I will never experience their struggle. I can hear them out and support them, but I will never go around saying the controversy is stupid especially when I can't walk in their shoes. I hope this is explained better.

In your first post, you said you never hear Spanish people complain (which I'm glad you explained yourself better on this) but the black community shouldn't get blamed for this.

It may not be the first time Hollywood has done this, but doesn't mean you keep quiet about it the second, third, or one hundredth time they do it again.

I would recommend reading samkaysam's post after this one, because they pretty much hit the nail on the head for the controversy. I do that when you are reading this, you will have an open mind about what we are saying instead of being closed-minded and negative as well. I have had arguments before with negative people so I hear what you are saying. I hope you're not one of them either.

[–] samkaysam 8 years ago

A lot of people in this thread have tried to outline the reason for the outrage. To quote Ta-Nehisi Coates "No one on the team seems to understand the absurdity at hand—making a movie about Nina Simone while operating within the very same machinery that caused Simone so much agony in the first place".

Nina Simone did not suffer only because she was black, but also because she was the wrong kind of black. This was and is a big part of her story. Again Ta-Nehisi Coates "But there is something deeply shameful—and hurtful—in the fact that even today a young Nina Simone would have a hard time being cast in her own biopic"

To summarize, it's a big deal in the black community that the dominant white society favors certain types of black people, who have features, skin color, nose, hair, body type, etc, closer to them. These are deemed more "acceptable" black people, they get to be "house" slaves, appear in mainstream movies as love interests, etc.

Now to make a movie about someone on the wrong side of that divide, then essentially add on to the injustice, i.e. cannot hire black woman like Nina Simone, too African, bad for marketability, hire un-African Zoe Saldana, more marketable. Then not only paint her, but give a particularly bad paint, the kind that outright evokes blackface. Then give her a prosthetic nose. And a wig. You get where is going? It is quite offensive. This is epic levels of ineptness.

And all this to make a biopic..... I give up.

Yes, most of us are fed up at all there eye roll worthy outrage moments, but some them are actually legit.

[–] THEBADFOUR1987 8 years ago

Yep. I can't say this better myself.

[–] waats1 8 years ago

ok I see.. I get it... that was the best explanation I heard yet.

I just hope that Zoe can do her justice because after all the controversy she better deliver

[–] jane_bront 8 years ago

Excellent on target post. Also, this is why this situation can't be relevantly compared to a white actor wearing make-up and prosthetics to play a biopic about another white person.

[–] craigbhill 8 years ago

Co you realize Zoe had to apply blackface makeup to approach looking as dark as Nina Simone? Do you realize Nina was singled out for massive prejudice in the music biz BECAUSE she was so dark? Of course you didn't. Like you don't know her black employee "love interest" in this embarrassing abortion of a bio was out-gay. Like you type "controversey". A fool like you lacks the care to learn anything about the subject of your drivel before casting a critical comment.

~ Native Angeleno

[–] craigbhill 8 years ago

Do you realize Zoe had to apply blackface makeup to approach looking as dark as Nina Simone? Do you realize Nina was singled out for massive prejudice in the music biz BECAUSE she was so dark? Of course you didn't. Like you don't know her black employee "love interest" in this embarrassing abortion of a bio was out-gay. Like you type "controversey". A fool like you lacks the care to learn anything about the subject of your drivel before casting a critical comment.

~ Native Angeleno

[–] letess 8 years ago

You'd have to know Nina. It's just bad casting regardless. Plus, I heard Zoe's singing. Nina was remarkable and they just didn't get the right actress to play her. Not only, if you knew Nina through her many interviews and especially seeing Nina in the recent documentary, she would have been horrified with their selection, but not surprised. Mississippi Goddam...

[–] Sox575 8 years ago

The controversy isn't about Saldana, but about the poor casting choice that Hollywood did yet again.

She isn't just portraying a singer, she's playing an icon who was unapologetic about being black, not Beyonce black, but really black. Nina Simone wasn't just a musical genius but also a militant who expressed herself in the lyrics of her songs and in the way she looked. She sported an afro and really had a "Jackson 5 nose" and in this film they had to put Zoe in black face and prosthetics and she still doesn't look like Simone.

Hollywood could've picked some other actress like Viola Davis (even an unknown) but instead they pick someone they think is "bankable," a light skinned actress and put her in black face because they think this is more acceptable (I'm not sure why they would think this because it makes no sense to me), which is why there's this controversy.

But'Cha Are, Blanche! Ya'Are In That Chair!

[–] KatNut 8 years ago

I understand where you're coming from, but the real controversy doesn't come from her playing a black woman, it's in her playing THIS black woman. Nina Simone was both plagued and inspired by her African looks. Her big lips, big nose, big wide-set eyes, round face, very dark skin...they were part of her struggle with fame and the world; a world that at large considered her features ugly and undesirable. It feels like a slap in the face to that struggle to cast someone who so perfectly embodies the features society finds 'attractive' in a black woman, and then have to make her up to still be more conventionally attractive than Nina was. I'm really surprised they didn't cast Uzo Aduba from Orange is the New Black, who not only has the looks but the acting chops (See: Emmy!) , AND the singing chops ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2mcwfcXW50 ). It's certainly not Saldana's fault and she doesn't deserve any hate to be thrown at her for not passing up an amazing opportunity, but looking at the two actresses it's pretty clear why Saldana was chosen, and it has very little to do with who was more 'talented'.