IFWT_ROBERT JOHNSON
People have been giving Zoe Saldana a hard time about starring in the Nina Simone biopic, ‘Nina.’ Simone’s estate even released a harsh tweet telling Saldana to keep the singers name out of her mouth forever. Founder of BET Robert L. Johnson shows his support for Saldana and the movie.

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Johnson has released a statement saying,

“Zoe Saldana delivers an exceptional and mesmerizing tribute to Nina Simone. She gave her heart and soul to the role and displayed her extraordinary talent. The most important thing is that creativity or quality of performance should never be judged on the basis of color, or ethnicity, or physical likeness. Quality entertainment should be measured by the sheer force of creativity and the commitment that an actor or actress brings to the performance. We are proud to distribute the film headlined by Zoe Saldana and David Oyelowo on April 22, 2016.”

The controversy comes from how crucial the shade of Simone’s skin was in her struggle to be heard by people. In the movie, Saldana has on a prosthetic nose and dark makeup to accommodate for Simone’s actual skin color. When Saldana’s casting was first revealed, Marc Lamont Hill wrote in EBONY,

“There is no greater evidence of how tragic things are for dark-skinned women in Hollywood than the fact that they can’t even get hired to play dark-skinned women.”