Julia Roberts Cast As Nina Simone: Seems Like A Bad Idea??

Sunday, May 12th, 2013 @ 11:16 pm | Education, Entertainment

The staff of YouThinkWhat is weighing in on the controversy of whom to cast in the film role of one of our legendary musical heroes, the late Nina Simone. In the American Black African Community she is known as the High Priestess of Soul. Nina Simone is internationally renown for her activism, her love of classical music and her innovative American jazz musical stylings; she called jazz music America’s classical music.

As of today no release date for the film has been announced. It is reportedly in post production. We hope it remains on the shelf. This statement is disparaging, and justifiably so because there was a time in Hollyweird when movie executives did not believe audiences would pay to see blacks on screen…at least not an entire feature length project with blacks, Negroes or coloreds in major roles. In those times the films remained in the can, on the shelf for years awaiting distribution to the public for viewing. How times have changed.

Nina Simone is an American music icon molded from the depths of the artistic joy, the angst, the pain, the struggle to be black, female and bipolar in the United States of America. Our current and future generations must be given the complete story of who she was and what she contended with to become the legendary music royalty she is.

Our leader, Henry T. Gandolph says the casting controversy associated with this movie is much like the 1970s professional football controversy over which NFL quarterback should play on Sunday; the days when the Washington Redskins fans drove around with bumper stickers proclaiming “I love Billy”, as in Kilmer, or ” I love Sonny”, as in Jurgensen. No bumper sticker campaign has arisen from this camflama; we are sorry to say someone was asleep at the wheel, they missed a money making opportunity.

We think Zoe Saldana is a good actress. She’s got good film and teevee credentials; nothing exceptional just good. Saldana has acted in shows such as Law and Order. She’s appeared in comedy films like “Death at a Funeral”, with Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock; the remake of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, along with Ashton Kutcher; a Star Trek vehicle in the role of “Uhura”. She played a female pirate in “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

We’ve seen her in the film dramedies “Drumline”, with Nick Cannon, as well as in “The Terminal”, with Tom Hanks, a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Saldana had a featured role in 2009’s James Cameron’s Oscar Award winning speculative future sci-fi flick “Avatar”. It was this role that significantly raised her Hollywood profile .

As good as she is we do not believe she is the right actor for the role of Nina Simone. Saldana looks too dissimilar to Eunice Kathleen Waymon, Nina Simone’s birth name. It is after all a bio-pic.

We’ve noticed when movies of this genre are done about white people the casting director, producers and director typically find an actor who resembles the person being depicted in the story. Even if the resemblance is slight and prosthetic make-up, wigs and other tricks of the trade must be used to complete the illusion of the subject, the basic canvas, being the actor, looks somewhat similar to the subject.
See pic of former President George W. Bush (l) and Josh Brolin as Dubya; feminist writer Virginia Woolf (l); Nicole Kidman as Woolf

We agree with, Lisa Stroud, the daughter of the late Dr. Simone, a singer, songwriter in her own rite, who uses the stage name Simone.
An actor should be chosen to be cast in the role not necessarily a musician; not saying Saldana isn’t an actor. We also agree Angela Bassett gave a more than credible Oscar nominated performance as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Bassett’s lip-synching ability
is outstanding.

We are incredulous at the reports we’ve read stating Cynthia Mort writer, producer and director of the film has the temerity to attempt a story of a revered personality, a giant in the music industry, a larger than life figure in the history of the nation, without even attempting to request permission or participation of the Nina Simone Estate. We find Ms Mort’s casting abilities are right up there with the Three Blind Mice…that’s why we say she should have cast Julia Roberts in the title role.

Hollywood executives, especially black moguls like Tyler, Okrah, Bob Johnson, Bill Cosby, Jay-Z , pay close attention because there has to be another Nina Simone film project; we hope it’s one that tells her complete life story with the cooperation and collaboration of her family and the estate.

There are several actors, obviously black, (one doesn’t have to wonder what their ethnic heritage is because you-can-see-Mother-Africa-in-their- faces); broad featured female, Negro, colored, black actors of African descent, who we would like to see play the role of Nina Simone…Anika Noni-Rose, Audra MacDonald, Kimberly Elise, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis. All the named actors are equipped with skills ranging from good to exceptional; actresses who would be believable in the part.

Consider Fantasia Barrino, who like Simone is a native of North Carolina, a musician who has acted on stage, on Broadway, in “The Color Purple” musical and in film. India Arie comes to mind, however she humbly declines because she believes her musical hero deserves better than a first time actress. Props to Arie for humility and knowing her limitations.

We’ve come up with a reason why Mort may be confused about who to cast in the part…we have observed many black actresses, especially those darker than a brown paper bag, seem to work overtime to be lighter…as in closer to white…with the use of lighting in photos, make-up, hair weaves…Though she is very light skinned we choose for this example Mrs. Carter, who is looking more and more like the only white woman in North America. What’s up with that??

For this reason we advise producer, director, writer Mort, as well as any future film makers who will take up the subject of Nina Simone’s life, if you’re going to be outrageous in your casting choice, do not select just any black actor. Go all the way. Do not hold back…

If a vote were being taken on the matter we’d cast our ballot for Julia Roberts. Hollywood has the technology to make Eddie Murphy look like an old Jewish man, a fat black man or woman. Murphy even appeared in a film as a morbidly obese black woman in a two piece swimsuit. The Hollywood imagineers made the Wayans Brothers look like white females. If the technicians can make Robert Downey, Jr. look black, surely turning Julia Roberts into a revered black activist musician is possible. After all she’s such a great actress she has people believing she’s beautiful. Casting her as a revered black artist should be very easy.

In fact we think Robert Downey, Jr would be good in the part. Singer Nina Simone was known for her androgynous vocal quality. Her vocal range went from a deep growling baritone to a plaintive soft alto. Even casting Adam Sandler as Nina Simone, or the fictional Bucky Larson, as played by Nick Swardson, would make as much sense. The choice would show more thought for the casting decision than Mort’s selection of Saldana for the role.