Is calling Zoe Saldana ‘too light’ to play Nina Simone color discrimination?

Opinion

by Yesha Callahan, Clutch Magazine |

From Clutch Magazine: Many people have written posts, tweets and blogs about Saldana not having dark enough skin, “blacker” features, or resembling Nina Simone. Unfortunately, not everyone can be Halle Berry as Dorothy Dandridge. Just because she’s not in the latest Tyler Perry movie, or tends to have white men as love interests in the movies she’s appeared in, doesn’t make her any less black than the next black actress. For the people who’ve cited that maybe she can’t pull off the role because of a lack of talent, that’s another matter of opinion. Personally, if I had to weigh her talent against Mary J. Blige’s, who was originally up for the role, I’d put my money on Zoe.

RELATED: Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone? Why skin color casting in Hollywood is complicated

Hollywood is going to do what Hollywood wants to do. We’ve already seen them turn Angelina Jolie into a bi-racial black woman. Hollywood is only concerned with making the dollars at the box office.

You could also bring up the fact that Angela Bassett, looked nothing like the lighter Tina Turner, but she did get that role and was fucking amazing. No one yelled or hollered about that. Sure, there are probably more talented actresses out there, but if they were lighter as well, would the talent surpass their color?

Read the rest of this story on Clutch Magazine.