*During their red carpet premiere of their film “The Perfect Match,” Queen Latifah and Paula Patton were asked to weigh in on the controversial casting of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone in the upcoming film “Nina.”
The decision to cast Saldana has been slammed by folks who believe a darker-skinned African American should’ve been chosen, particularly considering the issue of America’s racial history is reflected in much of her music, and that the actress had to darken her skin and use prosthetics to look the part. Saldana is of African, Dominican and Puerto Rican descent.
Both Latifah and Patton see nothing wrong with Saldana in the role.
“I think Zoe Saldana is a great actress, so I am looking forward to it,” Latifah told the Associated Press at Monday’s premiere of “The Perfect Match.” “She is of African descent — I don’t see why she shouldn’t play the role. I just want to see it. Get rid of the hype and let’s go watch a movie.”
Patton added, “I’m not into negativity like that. It’s a horrible thing to put on somebody. Clearly, someone thought she was perfect for it — she’s an amazing actress, she’s beautiful — and you haven’t even given her a chance and you haven’t seen it.”
Patton continued, “Imagine being in her shoes and enduring that. It’s not cool, and it’s not right … Give her a shot, try to enjoy it and stop judging.”
“Nina,” written and directed by Cynthia Mort, hits theaters on Apr. 22. Watch the trailer below:
