The controversy surrounding Zoe Saldana’s casting as legendary singer Nina Simone only grew this week with the release of the film Nina's trailer. Now, the Simone estate, which has already come out against the film, made it clear once again that they are not supporting the movie.
The trailer and poster for Nina were released this week and it was announced that the film will be released in theaters and VOD on April 22. The publicity revived the controversial decision by writer/director Cynthia Mort to have Saldana, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, play the African American Simone.
Saldana tried to stay above the fray by tweeting a quote from Simone, notes Rolling Stone.
The Simone estate was quick to respond, telling the actress, “Cool story but please take Nina’s name out your mouth. For the rest of your life.”
“Hopefully people begin to understand this is painful,” the estate added. “Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, nauseating, soul-crushing. It shall pass, but for now…
Nina has been in the works for years and was originally supposed to come out in December 2015. The film centers on Simone’s relationship with Clifton Henderson (played by David Oyelowo), who became her assistant. In order to look like Simone, Saldana reportedly darkened her skin and used a prosthetic nose.