Guardians Star Zoe Saldana Apologizes for Playing Nina Simone In Highly Controversial Biopic

Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana has expressed remorse for playing the role of legendary musician Nina Simone in Cynthia Mort's controversial 2016 biopic, Nina.

Speaking with Pose creator Steven Canals to talk about their experience working in Hollywood as Afro-Latinos, Saldana opened up about her missteps working on Nina and taking on the role of Nina Simone. When Saldana took on the role, the Star Trek actress was made to wear a prosthetic nose and makeup to darken her skin, one of the major reasons why she regrets taking on the movie in the first place.

"I should have never played Nina," Saldana admitted, "I should have done everything in my power, with the leverage that I had 10 years ago — which was a different [amount of] leverage, but it was leverage nonetheless. I should've tried everything in my power to cast a Black woman to play an exceptionally perfect Black woman."

Saldana had a very different opinion in the past. Back in 2016 the actress was confronted with backlash fans, critics, and members of Simone's Estate, however, Saldana stood up to everyone saying that "There's no one way to be black."

Now, the Marvel star regrets her stand.

"That's [growth] and it's painful. I thought back then that I had the permission because I was a Black woman, and I am," Saldana explained, "But it was Nina Simone, and Nina had a life and she had a journey that should've been and should be honored to the most specific detail because she was a specifically detailed individual about her voice, her opinions, her views, her music, and her art. And she was so honest. She deserved better."

Years after the film's release, Saldana now offers Simone's family and fans a proper apology, saying that she's sorry for taking on the role because in the end, the musical legend deserved better than what she could offer.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry because I love her music," she said while getting emotional. "It wasn't enough. With that said, she's one of our giants and someone else should step-up. Somebody else should tell her story."

We're glad to hear that Saldana has learned from her experience working on Nina. We hope that the actress never gets to face the same issue again as she continues on with her career.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are available for streaming on Disney+.

Read: James Gunn Confirms that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has NOT been Delayed