[h=3]Mis)Casting Call: The Erasure of Nina Simone's Image[/h]
Nina Simone…
Pioneer, impactful, volatile, Black classical music genius, revolutionary, regal, and every bit the High Priestess of Soul ... if anybody is worthy of having her story brought to the big screen for posterity, it’d be Nina. Having to overcome racism and accused of not having the "right look” to appease the sensibilities of a certain segment of society; Nina was undaunted and has left a legacy that continues to resonate with her fans, lifelong and new.
When it was announced in 2010 that a Nina Simone biopic [based on a script by TV writer, Cynthia Mort] was in development and that singer, Mary J. Blige was slated to play her, the public's interest was piqued and they were a bit skeptical about whether Mary had the breadth of character to portray such a dynamic figure. And while Mary J. Blige emotes a similar feeling of euphonic consciousness in her own music, she doesn't necessarily harness the same sense of awareness or presence as Nina did. Nonetheless, some of us stayed abreast of the project, which was slated to start filming last year. Alas, it was stalled by financial setbacks, which delayed production and Mary J. Blige was forced to drop out. Folks were left to ponder who’d play Nina; bloggers and fans campaigned for the Black actresses and entertainers they thought would be more of an appropriate fit for the role — including Viola Davis, Lauryn Hill, India Arie and
especially Adepero Oduye who starred, to wide acclaim, in
Pariah — so many were left with feelings of confusion and dismay when Afro-Latina actress, Zoe Saldana was announced as Mary J. Blige’s replacement. With Saldana on-board to play Nina, suddenly the film’s financial woes were resolved and filming is slated to begin this year.
While Zoe Saldana is undoubtedly a capable actress and has amassed an impressive list of acting credentials; people are understandably agitated and of course the ubiquitous
online petition has started circulating via Change.org, and chief among the petition's grievances…
Getting light complexioned actors to play the roles of dark complexioned historical figures is not only a sign of blatant disrespect to the persons they are portraying, but it is also disrespectful to their families, to history, to the people who look like the persons being whitewashed, and to the intelligence of the audience. For too long Hollywood has gotten away with this practice of revisionist history…
… And it’s a very valid gripe. Black actresses - particularly those with darker skin- often
lament their experiences having to navigate the politics of an industry, that’s rarely willing to cast them in non-stereotypical roles, because [despite being attractive and immensely talented and right for the role] they don’t have the palatable “mainstream look" the Hollywood machine requires of some of its Black actresses; so they often lose plum roles to, what I call, the
Halle Berry/Paula Patton appeal… and that destructive notion often places Black identified but racially ambiguous
looking actresses on a pedestal as ideal representations of the Black female aesthetic.
It’s a frustrating system of white-washing that
incited people to chorus when biracial actress Jaqueline Fleming was cast as Harriet Tubman in Tim Burton's farcical [and poorly rated] fantasy-horror flick
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and when
Thandie Newton was cast as an Igbo woman, for the film adaptation of Nigerian Author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book,
Half Of A Yellow Sun, earlier this year.
To note, Zoe Saldana is undoubtedly part of the African Diaspora and I’m not a gatekeeper for
Black is, Black ain’t however, her being cast as Nina Simone sounds as random and egregious as Diana Ross’ portrayal of Billie Holiday in
Lady Sings the Blues [Oscar nod notwithstanding… and
yes I went there]. A large part of Nina Simone’s work and advocacy was prompted by the challenges she faced for having dark-skin and being rejected or criticized because of it. Nina was unapologetic about her brand of beauty and it was reflected in her demeanor and personal aesthetic. Commissioning an Afro-Latina actress who doesn't even come close to fitting the phenotype to evoke that struggle seems like another
deliberate attempt at image erasure of Black women, by the media and entertainment industry… particularly since there are several other talented Black actresses who could’ve undoubtedly fulfilled the needs of the role.
Nina’s daughter Simone, released a carefully worded but eloquent statement via
Facebook, about Zoe Saldana being cast to play her mother; in which she makes it clear that the film is an unauthorized version of Nina’s storied life…
Please note, this project is unauthorized. The Nina Simone Estate was never asked permission nor invited to participate. … If written, funded and CAST PROPERLY a movie about my mother will make an [sic] lasting imprint.
My vision of a movie about my mother includes SO many pivotal moments that are monumentally important towards relaying the journey of a woman whose journey began as a child prodigy born in North Carolina in the 1930's...too many to list here but, trust when I say the tale will inspire through the sheer sharing of HOW Eunice Waymon became Nina Simone, The High Priestess Of Soul renowned worldwide. How many of you know my mother's FIRST love was classical music? Do you know the hours she practiced preparing to audition for the Curtis Institute of Music only to be rejected because of the color of her skin? **After my mother made her transition I accepted a diploma from that very same institute with a speech she began writing but was unable to finish prior to her death. **
As a child, my mother was told her nose was too big and she was too dark yet she graduated valedictorian of her high school class - The Allen School for Girls - AND, skipped two grades. Nina was one of the most outspoken, prolifically gifted artists using the stage to speak out against racism during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's. Her friends included Betty Shabazz, Lorraine Hansberry (my godmother), Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Miriam Makeba, Stokely Carmichael, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens worldwide. Had she become a classical pianist, which was her dream....shattered, I doubt she would have found her true destiny. Nina Simone was a voice for her people and she spoke out HONESTLY, sang to us FROM HER SOUL, shared her joy, pain, anger and intelligence poetically in a style all her own. My mother stood up for justice, by any means necessary hahahaha YES, she was a revolutionary til the day she died. From Tragedy to Transcendence - MY VISION. The whole arc of her life which is inspirational, educational, entertaining and downright shocking at times is what needs to be told THE RIGHT WAY.
Tambay A. Obenson of the website
Shadow and Act has been tracking this project closely and recently obtained and read a draft of the
Nina script; writing…
“Ultimately, the project is meant to honor the passionate soul and sensitive nature — yet resilience- of an immense talent, who, despite her grand achievements, struggled with remorse, insecurity, feeling unloved and misunderstood. The film’s success really depends on the execution. Perhaps with the right performers, editing, cinematography and direction, this could be an interesting, compelling film. Without it, it could be a mess, suffer from a lack of substance and other ills, like, bad acting.”
While some petitioners are admittedly unfairly questioning the authenticity of Zoe Saldana’s race [the Black experience and Diaspora is universal], the fact still remains that casting her as Nina Simone seems like a decision based on gross superficiality and Hollywood executives’ disdain for a specific type of Black female beauty, let’s be real. It's a glaringly obvious slight that Zoe Saldana fans and the film's apologists refuse to grasp, in their defense of the casting choice.
