After quite some wait, the highly anticipated biopic trailer which follows the singer, songwriter and political activist Nina Simone and the relationship between her and her assistant turned manager Clifton Henderson has now been released.
Nina stars Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy) as Simone and David Oyelowo (Selma) as Henderson, which has been cause for controversy since 2010 due to the dissimilarity between her and the late singer. Now with this trailer, viewers have criticised her further for wearing dark makeup and a prosthetic nose, as it extends discrimination based on colour and goes against the themes in Simone’s music.
In 2010, singer Mary J. Blige was set to play the singer but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts. Nina Simone’s daughter, Lisa Simone (executive producer on the Oscar nominated Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone) has already voiced concerns with this casting choice saying, “My mother was raised at a time when she was told her nose was too wide, her skin was too dark. Appearance-wise this is not the best choice.”
She later went on to say that the tone of the script was also a problem, as it seems to give Henderson credit for Simone’s achievements in her later life.
Nina is set to be released on the 22nd of April, the day after the anniversary of the singer’s death.
Image via Today