Zoe Saldana is finally responding to the backlash over her portrayal of Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic. The Avatar star tells Hip Hollywood she did this film for her people.
“What keeps me focused and what kept me from getting stressed and hurt by the comments is [that] I’m doing this for my sisters,” said Saldana. “I’m doing it for my brothers. I don’t care who tells me I’m not this and that. I know who I am. I know what Nina Simone means to me. That is my truth and that is what set me free.”
Saldana adds that no matter what critics or fans say about the final version of the movie, she’ll keep her head held high. “I did it out of love,” she said. “Out of love for Nina. Out of love for my people. For who I am. My pride of being a Black woman. A Latina woman. An American woman. That’s my truth.”
Little is known about the upcoming movie except that it covers the legendary singer’s rise to fame and relationship with her manager, Clifton Henderson. It co-stars Ella Thomas, David Oyelowo and Mike Epps. It is slated for a 2013 release.