In a recent interview with All Hip Hop, Zoe claims the criticism for the Nina Simone biopic was unfair, and many of her critics became bullies when they made an issue out of her skin tone:
ALL HIP HOP: You say that it excites you to play so many different types of characters from so many different walks of life, but recently many within the African American community faulted you for accepting the role of the late civil rights activist and African American musician Nina Simone. The crux of that discontent was rooted in the fact that you don’t traditionally identify yourself as an African American or black woman in your everyday life away from acting. Do you think that this complaint is unfair?
Z: I think it is, but I’m not going to approach this situation from that angle. It’s not the right angle to look at it. It’s just not. This color situation that happened with me and Nina, it’s been happening with me and every person of color forever. That’s what happens when you pick on a kid so much and you pick on a kid so much that they are going to turn into a bully. For whatever reasons he may have, he’s going to defend himself. He’s going to act out of just anger because what is happening and has been happening is unfair. So what I’m saying is, I’m looking at this whole situation, I’m respecting it. But I’m also respecting my own position and how I view it because I have to honor it. I know no other way and I don’t know any other experience. I didn’t operate under any other motive but my own, and I can clearly say and share that those were pure. Those were really, really pure. I respect and I am going to respect the opinion, but I know who I am and I know where I want to be, and I know where I am from. So I wasn’t going to defend that. I was going to focus on the fact that we all tried. There were things that were broken in the process. I came out a better business actor knowing how to make wiser decisions when you start to see signs and know that they are signs of mismanagement.
I don’t think anyone was trying to bully her. But it would be nice if she would try to understand where people were coming from. Colorism is a huge issue. No need to ignore it.
She just doesn’t get it and sadly she may never get it. But I’m thankful that there are Afro Latinas and light skinned women who are starting to see that there really is a problem and we must all work together to fight colorism. It was nice to see Zendaya admit her privilege in that interview.
She really wants to be a victim.
I don’t understand how a Afro Latina can’t understand why using a prosthetic nose and blackface is a problem.
People like Zoe are part of the problem. We have to stop telling dark skinned women to shut up and accept being mistreated. It’s not cool.
Wrong people are cast in movies everyday, no one made a fuss about a skinny light skin woman portraying Missy Elliot in the Aaliyah movie. At the end of the day these people get paid to act so if money right their going to take it
I’m not sure why anyone would bring up the Aaliyah biopic when the whole network was dragged for hiring a biracial actress to play Aaliyah and a light skin woman to play Missy. Let’s not rewrite history just because we like Zoe Saldana people. I swear dark skinned women get absolutely no support in the black community. It’s sickening.
She can play victim all she wants. The movie flopped, I now see her for the selfish opportunist she is and I’m good on her.
Bullies? LOL. This is why I didn’t feel bad for her when she got dragged. Zoe is the perfect example of the problematic women of color in our communities who benefit for colorism and don’t want it to stop because they benefit from it. So because they don’t want colorism to end, they will tell us to stop talking about it. And when we talk about it, they call us bitter and hateful bullies who are jealous that we weren’t born lighter.
Oh and Rosario Dawson >>>>>>> Zoe Saldana. Let’s not forget how silent Zoe was when Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were murdered by cops. She only tweeted about the cops who were killed. But she’s a proud black woman, right? LOL.
I wish she would shut the f-ck up about this sh-t. She doesn’t give a f-ck about Nina Simone. She only took this role because she thought it would get her an Oscar and sh-t blew up in her face. She’s a mediocre actress any damn way. She should stick to those comic book movies where she doesn’t have to say much and leave biopics to those who can actually carry a f-cking movie.
Criticism we don’t like equals to bullying now? Anyway, I think karma has been served. The movie flopped and bringing up the issue was a way to finally talk about colorism on a public platform. Zoe will be fine. We just need to stop cosigning colorism in Hollywood. Representation matters.
I’m a proud Afro-Latina and Zoe is an embarrassment. It’s ok to admit you were wrong and insensitive. Sometimes we put our own wants before our people, and we should be called out when we do. People boycotted the movie but we’re not boycotting her career. So there’s no need for this victim rhetoric she’s speaking. It’s very transparent and self serving, and makes it obvious that she still refuses to see the other side. Yes, she’s a Latina but she’s still black! Can’t forget your own people while you’re trying to stack your coins. Like Mary, she should have walked away from this movie. They need to stop making excuses and stop finding any way possible to get out of hiring dark skinned actresses.
LMBO! But for real, I think she wouldn’t have gotten dragged so bad if she didn’t agree to the blackface and fake nose. That honestly killed the movie before anything else.
Notice that she sidestepped the f-ck outta that question about not identifying as a black but accepting the lead role in a film about a black woman. Zoe doesn’t get it and at this point she just needs to shut the f-ck up. Seriously.